


The Snowborn

by Ai_Megurine



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Assassins, F/M, First time I post anything on AO3, Forbidden Love, Hyuuga Hinata-centric, Plots, Politics, backstabbing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:34:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 44,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23429317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ai_Megurine/pseuds/Ai_Megurine
Summary: Lady Hinata Hyuga, the Snowborn, is the daughter of lord Hiashi Hyuga and lady Cho Hyuga and the heiress of Pearlforest. Her life changes when her father returns from the capitol and announces that he's the future Daimyo of the Fire Kingdom. Hinata follows him at the capitol to spend some years in Konoha until his coronation but tragedy strikes and takes her father away, and chaos takes over the kingdom. Now, she has to survive in a merciless city where everyone wants to control her, and learn to control her own heart and feelings...Also available on Fanfiction.net it you're more familiar with this website: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13538702/1/The-Snowborn
Relationships: Gaara/Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba/Yamanaka Ino
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	1. Once upon a time...

**Author's Note:**

> Hello ! This is my first story on AO3 so the tags might not be perfect, but I hope you'll still find what you were expecting in this story. If you like, please leave a comment, it would really make my day.
> 
> Of course, neither the characters or Naruto are mine, BUT THE SONGS ARE. I wrote them myself, and it took hours of work, so please don't re use them (bold of me to assume that anyone would want to use them but sill ><).
> 
> Enjoy the story :)

_Beyond the mountains covered in green,_

_I wait alone, with no home to be seen._

_As hundred gems glitters upon my head,_

_I sing and dance and harp, as it was said._

_For my music will sooth the beast to sleep,_

_And a hero will save me from this keep._

_On a full moon, riding a stallion, came_

_A brave hero and I knew not his name._

_As silver shone on his runes-covered blade,_

_The savage beast for me he fought and slayed._

_I sang I am Illya of the tower_

_And brave Dalìn crowned me with a flower._

_Today I am the fair lady Illya,_

_The wife of Dalìn the lord of Lolya._

_The tower lies beyond mountains of green_

_But of my pain is no longer the scene._

_And from my opal tower in my home,_

_I see the land that I may freely roam._

Hinata’s fingers stopped dancing on the harp’s strings. She had performed Illya’s song for her tutor and the two other girls of her class; it was her favourite song and she loved nothing more but play and sing it. She sometimes dreamt to meet a knight like Dalìn who would save her and crown her with flowers too. The eight-years old girl looked up at lula Natsu, her tutor, waiting for comments on her music. The priestess gave her a smile and clapped her old hands. The two other girls attending the class did the same and Hinata felt her face heat up. Hamya and Hanika were older than her of two and three years, but she was the daughter of Lord Hiashi and they of the master-in-arms. They owed her respect, even though they were distant cousins for they were all Hyūgas. Nevertheless, it often bothered Hinata and she would rather be with her cousin Neiji who smiled a lot and remained honest.

“This was very good, Hinata. You still have to work on coordinating your voice and the melody, but both separate are excellent.”

“Thank you, lula Natsu, Hamya, Hykina”, she said, blushing as the two girls clapped alongside their tutor.

“Hamya, your turn”, Voice Natsu said. “You had to work on your interpretation of the Fourth Hymn, correct?”

Hamya was grabbed her ornamented violin. As she was about to play the hymn for the fallen warriors, the door opened and they all jumped in surprise, turning to see who had interrupted the lesson. It was ser Kō, the best knight of the clan.

“My apologies for interrupting but it’s urgent. Lord Hiashi has returned from Konoha.”

Hinata’s eyes widened and her mouth fell slightly open. Her lord father had left for the capital six years ago, right before her second birthday, and she had not seen him since. He would send gifts sometimes – dresses, a harp, books – but she could not remember his face. He was the twin of her uncle Hizashi so she assumed they were identical, but somehow, she could not picture his face. She wondered how he would look after so many years away from Yggalë and Pearlforest. What would he wear? What would he say to her? The most important thing was another matter, though, one that her lady mother would not stop rambling about if she were to drink some wine. Had he been selected by the Daimyō to take his place on the throne?

* * *

Hinata stared at the lord of Yggalë and Pearlforest before her. He was tall and had large shoulders, making him look like a mythical giant even though he was not wearing any armour. His eyes and hairs were similar to hers or any other Hyūga she had met, but his were cold and made of ice. He did not look like her uncle Hizashi, whose eyes were warm and always had a tale for her and her cousin Neiji. This man, her father, terrified her, but she had been raised well by her lady mother and lula Natsu. Hinata curtsied before the man, delicately holding the side of her lavender skirt as she did so.

“I am honoured to meet you, father”, she said.

“Don’t”, the man replied. “There is no need to curtsy before your father”.

She immediately obeyed and glanced at his face. His eyes had seemed to warm up and a small smile curved his lips in a way that reminded her of her uncle when he would bring her sweets in secret. Hinata authorized herself to smile a little; she had been wrong about fearing him. He was her lord father and fathers loved their sons and daughters. She had been so very wrong of thinking ill of him. Her lady mother had even told her how happy her father had been at her birth, naming Hinata in order to mock the nickname people have given to her, the Snowborn.

“Let’s all have some tea”, he offered. “I want to know everything about my daughter”, he added with a warm voice.

Hinata felt like smiling wildly; her lord father had finally returned, and he was everything like her mother had told her. Strong, just and kind. He listened to her mother’s stories of Hinata while sipping some tea, asked about her studies and congratulated her when she showed him her embroideries. She was still learning, but he waved her words away and asked her to make him a handkerchief that he would carry around should he leave Pearlforest without her again.

She was about to offer to play some harp for him, or sing one of her favourite songs, when the door of their solar opened. Hinata jumped in surprise and turned around to see who had entered the room, fearing something had happened. A smile softly appeared on her face. It was only her uncle Hizashi and her cousin, Neiji. Neiji was a boy of nine, one year older than her, but he was already much taller, and her head barely reached his chin when they stood next to each other. They often played together when they had the time.

“Hizashi, brother, you haven’t changed! And you must be Neiji! How do you fare?”, her lord father asked.

“Much better since I’ve heard of your return. You haven’t written to warn us, why?”

“The Oplàn roads are not safe”, her father replied, sighing. “I wanted to make sure no one knew about my return and which way I would take. It would put me and my escort in danger.”

“I understand”, Hizashi nodded. “Something must be done about the Oplàn roads. Yggalën ones are much safer. Cutthroats and criminals are afraid of us.”

Hinata shivered. Cutthroats? Criminals? There were no such things in Yggalë. Their region was safe, and the roads too. If the Oplàn roads were unsafe, she wanted to stay home forever. But if they were this dangerous, surely the Daimyō was doing something about it. He would not let the people be in danger.

“Let’s not speak about such things before the children”, her mother suddenly said. “They’re too young to hear about such things.”

“Aye, you’re right, my lady”, her father replied. “Oplàn roads are not our problems, anyway. We must focus on Yggalë. For now, at least”, he added with a proud look in his eyes.

Her mother gasped and grabbed his hands. Hinata glanced at her cousin, who did not seem to understand what was going on either.

“Am I hearing you correctly?” her lady mother said. “Have the Hyūgas been given this honour?”

“Yes, my lady, we have. Tonight, we will celebrate, for I shall take the Daimyō’s place on the throne, and our clan will lead our kingdom to glory.”

Hinata gasped, mimicking her mother’s reaction by accident. She thanked the Mother Above All of this honour and a smile appeared on her face. Her father would surely take her to Konoha with him in a few years, and she would see the beauty of the capital, knights of every origin, beautiful ladies, tourneys, singers in every street, and she would find good and kind friends. A smile on her face, she looked at her uncle and cousin, only to be surprised at her uncle’s face; his smile seemed strange and so very different from the one he gave her. Her smile fell, and she glanced at her father, who was chatting with her mother about trivial matters. Uneased, she got closer to them and tried to focus on their conversation.

But it seemed that she was afraid for nothing; at dinnertime, they all ate together, and her father and her uncle seemed to get along very well, talking of their childhood and their teenage years. They were reminiscing some “good old times” as her father said, and they laughed a lot. Hinata did not understand everything they were talking about and so she focused more on Neiji and his stories about his day, but her eyes were often drawn to her father. She had a hard time believing he was truly here, sitting in the lord’s chair. She half-expected him to disappear at some point and when she went to bed that evening, she found her eyes wet, afraid that he would be gone the next morning.

But of course, he was there, retaking his role as lord of Yggalë day after day. She barely saw for he worked a lot, but she did not care. Every time they would eat together or see each other in the afternoon, after her lesson, he would take the time to tell her about Konoha, a small anecdote or a funny event, making her giggle. Her mother looked happier too and smiled much more than she used too. Her ebony hair seemed silkier, her pearl-like eyes shinier. She played more music, and the song she hummed were happier than they used to.

Hinata heard one day that celebrations had been given throughout all of Yggalë after her father’s return. This was the last proof she needed that her father would be remembered as one of the greatest Daimyō of the kingdom. Yggalë already loved him, and it was only a matter of time before the entire kingdom loved him too. He would be, without a doubt, the best Daimyō the people could ever hope for, and he would rule wisely over the land of fire.

She herself would have duties as his daughter; she would not be Daimyō after him, and would not rule over anything but Yggalë, but she would most likely live at court with her father for a few years. After all, where would he find her the ideal husband but in Konoha? And who would pass the honour of spending some years at court? That meant, however, that she had to excel in everything a noble lady was to master. She made it her duty to work harder in her classes, and she happily discovered that her father was proud of her. It pushed her to keep going and becoming the perfect daughter he surely wished for.

* * *

Three weeks after her father’s return, Hinata glanced up from her knightly tale to look at the landscape surrounding Pearlforest. As her eyes were admiring the luxurious plains, she noticed a column of horses coming towards the castle from afar. She jumped on her feet and leaned on the stone balustrade; eyes widened. Who was coming? Allies or enemies? She squinted her eyes, hoping to recognize a banner from this distance but she failed; they were too far away.

She entered her bedroom and stood before her mirror, studying her dress. She sighed, relieved; she was well-dressed, and her hair were silky and tamed. She would be presentable for the newcomers. Nevertheless, she put on a Hyūga clan medallion and left her room, looking for her parents to share her discovery. She first knocked on her mother’s door, but her bedroom was empty and went to her father’s office, where he worked tirelessly for the clan and the region. She knocked softly and heard his deep voice from the other side of the heavy dark wood door.

“Come in!”

She easily opened the door and came in, curtsying politely.

“Oh, Hinata, I didn’t expect your visit. What can I do for you?”, he asked.

“I saw a column of horses approach, father. I couldn’t recognize their banner because of the distance.”

“Ah, I see. They’re our bannermen, the Yamanakas and Inuzukas. I invited them to celebrate my return. Your mother told me it could be a good idea to surprise you, you’ve always wanted to see a tourney, from what I’ve heard.

“A tourney?”, she repeated, suddenly ecstatic, an immense smile appearing on its own on face.

He chuckled softly and walked towards her.

“It would seem your mother was right. We will indeed host a tourney. It won’t match Konohan ones, but it will be a good training for those you’ll see at the capitol, won’t it?”

“I’ll go to Konoha?”, she exclaimed, smiling.

It had to be one of the most beautiful days of her life; not only a tourney would take place, but she now had the confirmation that she would follow her father to Konoha when he would become Daimyō. He chuckled again and invited her to follow him in the great hall to greet their first guest. If she had been allowed to, Hinata would have jumped and ran throughout the whole castle, but she restrained herself. If she did not act like a proper lady, she would be ridicule, et her parents ashamed.

When they arrived in the great hall, Hinata noticed that the tables had been moved to form a “u”. Her mother and Neiji were already sitting, chatting. If Hinata had to take a guess, she would say that her cousin was telling training stories to lady Cho. She sat by her mother’s side, on her father’s right side, the heir’s seat, whilst Neiji was on her father’s left and had left a seat for his father.

The first bannermen to arrive were the Inuzukas; their lady was named Tsume but Hinata realised, much to her disappointment, that the woman had nothing of a lady, and found in her no trace of her mother’s grace, although she showed nothing of it. By lady Tsume’s side stood her eldest daughter and heiress, lady Hana who, despite more graceful and beautiful than her mother, wore a sword at her hip and held herself like a knight. What could she possibly find exciting in sword fighting? It seemed exhausting and the sweat from the effort had to stick one’s clothes to one’s skin. Guards should suffice to protect them. Finally stood lady Tsume’s son, Kiba, who seemed to be of Neiji’s age. He had his mother’s unruly dark hair, and his family’ tattoo shone on his cheeks.

They were introduced by Hizashi, who spoke in a serious and deep voice Hinata had scarcely heard him used and sounded so different from the one he used when playing with her. Lady Tsume and her household put a knee to the ground, and Hinata felt herself blush. No one had knelt to her before this day. However, as future High Lady of Yggalë and head of the Hyūga clan after her father’s coronation, her bannermen would have to kneel before her. Nevertheless, she could not stop her blush and thanked the Nine that it was not required of her to talk. She would have lost her words and voice, without a doubt.

Food and wine were brought to the guests, who sat at a table was the Yamanakas arrived and were presented by Hizashi. Lord Inoichi Yamanaka had two children, twins, the young Inojin and lady Ino, with golden hair and sapphire eyes. But for all the beauty the Nine had given to the twins, they had taken it from their father, who scars-covered face filled Hinata with a wave of horror for a short second. His skin was redish and swollen and, from the state of his hands, Hinata guessed that the scars covered a large part of his body. The young lady suddenly felt horror leave her to be replaced by pity; the man may have a repulsive and terrifying appearance, but she could not begin to imagine the pain he had had to go through.

“My friends! Let’s eat and celebrate! Tomorrow, we may begin the tourney!”, her father said.


	2. A tourney

The feast was splendid and Hiashi found himself smiling and laughing naturally several times. It had not happened in years; Konoha was a city of lies and plots, and he had had to control each and every of his facial expressions during the nine years he had spent there. Even though he was talented at lying, he disliked it. The Mother of All asked honesty, but he had to renounce to his honesty there. Being Daimyō was not just an immense honour, it was the best way to expand the influence of his clan and ensure them a prosperous future. For the Hyūgas, he was ready to defy the Mother of All or the One of Wrath in persons.

He slightly shook his head and took sip a wine. The next days would be about celebration, and he did not have to think about Konoha for some years; some years during which he would be able to enjoy his clan and Yggalë and in particular his wife and daughter, of whose lives he had missed almost a decade. His eyes wandered amongst his fellow clanmates and bannermen, who had abandoned the benches to dance to the rhythm of the music performed by the minstrels he had hired for the next days. It had not been hard; minstrels lived of feasts and celebrations. They had been numerous to answer the High Lord of Yggalë’s call.

Hinata was dancing with Tsume’s son whilst Neiji danced with Inoichi’s daughter. A smile appeared on Hiashi’s lips as he remembered the first time he had danced with Cho. Hinata had the same radiant smile his wife that day and Hiashi sighed, nostalgia filling him. What would he have not given to be present for Hinata’s first words, smiles and steps? He could remember her birth as if it was yesterday, when she was nothing but a smiling babe in his arm, when he had named her Hinata, a name in honour of the sun to protect from the nickname given by the population, the Snowborn. The snow was such a rare sight in Yggalë that it was expected of the people to nickname like this a child born on a snowy winter solstice. Hiashi had therefore given her a name in the honour of the sun to remind them and her where she was from.

He had been taken from his daughter’s childhood by the Selection, and he would have given everything to take his wife and daughter with him, but it was impossible. Hinata was the future High Lady of Yggalë, and she had to spend her first years on the land that would be hers, and not elsewhere. Yggalë could not be a stranger to its future High Lady, of her bannermen would never love her; they did not want to be ruled by someone who had never admired the beauty of the emerald forests of their home.

“You think far too much, my dear.”

His wife’s sweet voice brought him back to reality and he turned to her. Cho had an amused a smile, and humour was glinting in her beautiful eyes.

“I know what you’re thinking; don’t fret over it. You’ll be able to build memories with Hinata, and she will be more than happy of it. Come and dance with me!”, she concluded, extending her hand.

“You’re right, dear”, he replied, taking her hand.

“As always, Hiashi, as always”, she laughed.

Hiashi could not help himself and laughed too, following his wife at the centre of the great room. As they danced together, he forgot the rest of the world and focused solely on his wife, who seemed to become more beautiful as days passed. Her hands were as soft as silk and as warm as a chimney fire, and he felt like the lovestruck teenager he had been twenty years ago all over again. Cho twirled in his arms and brought her face close to his ear.

“Dance with Hinata, my love. I should ask Inoichi how he fares.”

“You’re right; encourage him to dance with Tsume, if you can. Only she is unmarried and unafraid of his scars.”

“I’d have more luck convincing him to dance with your brother!”, she giggled and Hiashi slightly shook his head, amused, as Cho gracefully approached Inoichi, her outerdress trailing behind her.

He turned towards Hinata, who was still laughing and dancing with Tsume’s son. Kiba, if he remembered correctly. He hesitated to approach her for a second, not wanting to stop her from befriending other children, when the bards started a song he had not heard in years, the Children of Yggalë. Immediately, Hinata clapped her hands, an immense smile on her face and Hiashi decided to let her dance with the young Inuzuka, preferring to sing from the benches.

_The oaks to the Hyūgas,_

_The roses to the Yamanakas,_

_The wolves to the Inuzukas,_

_The One of the Hoods gave._

He had forgotten the rest of the words, as he had been unable to listen to the Children of Yggalë for almost a decade and elected to hum the rhythm instead. His eyes remained on Hinata during the song; she seemed so happy he could not look away from her. She was as adorable as he had imagined her back in Konoha. Thin round eyes, long jet-black hair and golden sand-like skin. Although these were the Hyūgas common traits, Hinata seemed to carry them better than others for a reason he could not explain. Did every father see their children like this?

A maid offering a glass of wine took his attention away from Hinata, and he thanked the maid who bowed and left, humming the song for herself. When it ended, Hinata walked to him, tiredness visible on her face.

“I bid you good night, father. I should get some sleep before the tourney.”

“Sleep well. Was the feast to your liking?”

“It was magnificent!” she replied. “I can’t wait to see the tourney tomorrow!”

Hiashi nodded and watched her leave the room with Neiji, Kiba, Inojin and Ino for the bedrooms. She was easy to love and quick to laugh, and he had no doubt that she had befriended the other children. He looked around for Cho and joined her at a table for the rest of the evening and night; he had spent far too much away from her.

* * *

The tourney began around ten in the morning and would consist of a joust for the first day. Some independent riders had joined the tourney, but they would most likely not go very far. If they had a chance to do well in the joust, they could not win the mêlée. They had no chance against the Hyūgas, who moved as fast as snakes.

An unknown rider participated in the first joust. He had mahogany skin and Hiashi recognized the symbol of the wind on his shield. _‘A rider from the Wind Kingdom? Strange. He must be a mercenary’_ , the High Lord thought. He took a sip of wine and glanced at the other rider. He was a Yamanaka knight who wore, contrary to his adversary, a heavy armour. _‘Hm, they both have a different fighting style, it should be interesting’_. The arbiter blew his horn and the riders charged. The Yamanaka knight’s lance hit the stranger’s shield which exploded under the impact, but neither fell.

A new shield was offered to the stranger, but he refused and charged again once the horn was blown. Hiashi could not help but slightly bent over, interested. The stranger seemed much more serious. The two riders crossed path, and everything was over in an instant. As the Yamanaka knight was about to hit the stranger, he bent backwards, avoiding the lance, before getting up to hit his adversary who, under the shock, did not resist and fell in the sand. The entire crowd gasped in surprise, and the stranger removed his helmet, revealing a handsome face despite his scarred cheek, and long braided black hair. He pushed his horse to the plaza where Hiashi was seated and bowed his head.

“My congratulations for this beautiful victory. What’s your name?”

“Ryn, from the Wind Kingdom, my lord.”

“Rest in the victors’ tent, Ryn of the Wind Kingdom. Wine and food will be brought to you.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

The tourney continued for the rest of the day, and Hiashi had to admit that this stranger was much better than he thought, since he won the joust and the five hundred gold pieces promised to the winner. Hinata seemed charmed by the stranger, and Hiashi discretely watched her as she questioned the man about his journeys and his homeland, their traditions and fashion, worried. She was far too trustful, and that might be her doom in Konoha.

Far too people would take advantage of her. He had to teach her how to lie or at least to be more cautious. Yggalë was rich and peaceful; no one would dare manipulate her out of fear of the rest of the clan. She enjoyed a safety she would not have in Konoha, even when he would be Daimyō. He sighed; he had some years before him, and he saw no point in ruining her happiness. He wanted her to enjoy her first tourney. He had Kō watch over her, and the knight obeyed without question, allowing Hiashi to relax during the rest of the tourney. Kō was the best fighter of the clan, honourable and loyal, and Hinata could not have a better protector.

* * *

The tourney was a success, and Hiashi was pleased that his bannermen Inoichi and Tsume had not changed at all when they left Pearlforest to go back to Howlingfort, the Inuzukas’ castle, and Greencastle, the Yamanakas’ one. His wife hugged Tsume, and Hinata did the same with the children her age, petting young Kiba’s wolf on its head. He would finally reunite with the routine he had lost about ten years ago, and his eyes fell on Neiji and Hinata, lively chatting about the tourney they had just witnessed. His eyes then fell on Cho, who was speaking with the master-at-arms about something he could not hear.

Finally, he saw Hiashi walking back to the castle at a brisk pace, and Hiashi frowned. Something was wrong with his brother, and it was time to discover what. He followed him to the garden, where he saw his twin sharply order wine to a passing maid. Hiashi observed the young woman quickly leave to obey his brother before joining him and sitting before him. Hizashi immediately smiled, but Hiashi knew it was nothing but fake.

“Hiashi, you surprised me! What brings you here?”

“You. I’m worried, for you’ve seemed bitter to me the last few days. Has something happened?”

“Oh no, nothing. I’m merely tired. I didn’t know it was noticeable. I hope Neiji hasn’t seen anything, he worries easily.”

“I don’t think he has noticed anything, for I don’t think you’re sick. Stop lying to me, Hizashi, and tell me what troubles you.”

Hizashi looked at him straight in the eye, and Hiashi almost yield, apologize and leave. But he could not allow it; he had to know what plagued his brother’s mind. Otherwise, they would not be able to rule Yggalë, and the region would suffer. But Hiashi did not say a word, and Hiashi felt his throat go dry and tighten. What was happening? Why was Hizashi silent?

But he could not press his brother for answer as he heard the precipitated steps of a running child, and Neiji appeared, happily laughing as he turned around to encourage Hinata to follow him. When he noticed them, the boy stopped and smiled.

“Uncle Hiashi, father! Hinata, lady Cho and ser Kō and I are going to the water springs, would you like to come?”, he asked and, before Hiashi could refuse to keep interrogating his brother, Hizashi got up, a huge smile on his face.

“Gladly! Hiashi, what do you say?”

“I don’t have any objection”, he replied, refusing to involve the children Cho in all of this.

Then, Hinata arrived, breathless, her skirt flying behind her. She stopped by her cousin’s side, smiling, as ser Kō and lady Cho joined them. After a few words were exchanged, Hiashi followed them to the hot water springs sheltered by Pearlforest. As they were walking, Hiashi felt his brother’s hand on his shoulder and turned around to face him. Hizashi’s eyes had changed, much more serious than they used to be.

“It will soon mark the tenth anniversary of Halya’s death”, he confessed. “I didn’t want to trouble you because you just got your own family back, but I can’t help but think about her when this date approaches; I’m sorry for worrying you.

Hiashi suddenly felt stupid for forgetting the date. Halya had died eight months after giving birth to Neiji. How could he have forgotten? He was an unworthy brother; he had been so focused on his own happiness that he had forgotten his brother’s pain! He put his hand on Hizashi’s one.

“Brother, I’m the one who should apologize.”

“No; you’ve spent almost ten years in Konoha, away from your family, surrounded by vultures. Let’s put this behind us and enjoy our children. What do you think?”

“If it’s what you wish, yes, let’s do so.”

They exchanged a smile and joined their family. However, Hiashi, despite his best efforts, could not help but doubt his brother’s sincerity. He had no doubt that Hizashi missed Halya more than anything in the world, but he knew there was something else. Sadly, it was obvious Hizashi would not reveal anything on his own and Hiashi sighed, understanding he would have to stake his brother’s actions out. Hizashi had said it himself, he had spent almost ten years in Konoha. He knew when someone lied.

It would take some time though. Hizashi was his brother and he had no intention to use the techniques used in Konoha, of which the cruelty sometimes rivalled the one of the Kingdom of Water. Moreover, he had no intention to see the children teared apart by a fight between them; he wanted his castle and Yggalë to filled with laughing children and happy families. He did not want it to be ruin by a fight between two brothers.

Sitting by the springs, he watched Neiji remove his shirt and boots before jumping in the water as Hinata readjusted her lavender dress embroidered with silver before taking her harp and starting to play a song. She sang and harped with her eyes closed, enjoying her own music, her voice as soft as silk enchanting them all, and Hiashi lost himself in the contemplation of his only child who, still pure and innocent, loved life, and he forgot his own negative thoughts. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the wind and the shadow on his face, the voice of Hinata dancing around him. Today would be a good day.

_I love a maid,_

_I love a knight,_

_As fair as a serenade,_

_Who knows not fright._

_Neither the One of Wrath nor death_

_Shall make me forget this face._

_I’ll make her queen,_

_I’ll make him king,_

_Forever she’ll be serene,_

_In my arms him I’ll be keeping._

_Neither the One of Wrath nor death,_

_Shall make me forget this face._

The sung was suddenly interrupted by a scream of surprise from Hinata and a giggle from Neiji. Hiashi opened his eyes to find his daughter getting up, her eyes on her drenched dress.

“Neiji! This is my favourite dress!”, she exclaimed.

“It’s just water, come and swim!”, he replied.

Hiashi heard Cho’s bells-like laughter as she helped Hinata remove her dress and put it on the ground, exposing their daughter’s silver underskirt. Hinata then removed her boots, her socks, and ran in a gush of wind towards the hot springs. She easily jumped above Neiji and fell in the water behind him in a big splash. Hiashi laughed when she got back to the surface and splashed her cousin. The situation quickly evolved in a full out water battle between the two children, who ended up leaving the water and run after one another, one drenched gush of wind after the other, sometimes falling back in the water. They finally stopped, panting but smiling.

Once back at the castle, Hiashi walked with Cho in the gardens while the children went to take a bath and put on some clean and dry clothes before supper. When they arrived in front of the old oak in the middle of the garden, Cho stopped and turned to him.

“I have marvellous news for you. Do you remember the last time we were before that oak?”

“Of course. It was the day you told me about your pregnancy…”, he replied and, as he spoke, Hiashi understood what she was about to announce. “By the Nine! A baby!”

“Yes, my love. I learnt it this morning and looked for the best moment to tell you. We’re going to have a second child, dear”, she said, smiling.

“A baby!”, he repeated, his heart beating wildly in joy, and he put his hand on his wife’s belly. “Oh, Cho, what great news! Hinata will ecstatic, won’t she?”

“She will”, Cho giggled smiling as wildly as him. “She always wanted a younger sibling. She’ll most likely be even happier than us!”

“I doubt that. Oh, I love you, Cho, so much.”

“I love you too, dear.”

Today was a good day.


	3. So long, childhood.

Neiji loved the summer; the sun would shine through luxurious leaves, and he could enjoy its warmth on his skin. Nothing was better than playing in the courtyard with Hinata or listening to her harping and singing while he trained with ser Hakkio, the master-at-arms. But today was different from the usual summer days. Lady Cho’s water had broken, and she was locked in her apartments with midwives and doctors to assist her during childbirth.

He would have preferred to wait outside instead of the corridor as to not hear the pained screams of his aunt, but he did not want to leave Hinata alone; Hiashi was walking up and down the corridor in silence, and Hinata was waiting, her back straight as a tower, for the end of the ordeal. He had no intention to leave her alone with no one to reassure her. Another pained scream echoed, and Hinata breathed deeply. She did her best to restrain her cries, but Neiji could see the small tears in the corners of her eyes. He put a hand on hers and she looked at him.

“It will be fine, he said. I’m sure it’s normal. Lady Cho has many midwives with her, so everything will be fine. And she already had a baby, didn’t she? Surely, she can have another.”

Hinata nodded, and a smile appeared on her face as she squeezed his hand.

“You’re right”, she replied. “Mother is a great lady, a Hyūga and my birth was an easy one. Everything shall be fine. Perhaps the baby will be a mage if the Nine bless them!”

“A mage?” Hiashi suddenly repeated. “Why would you want your brother to be a mage?”

“Well, mages are blessed by the Nine themselves, they carry luck and are here to help mankind…” Hinata stuttered, squeezing Neiji’s hand harder.

Neiji frowned. Why had his uncle reacted this way? Mages were rare beings, blessed by the Nine themselves, and have one for a child was both a blessing and a miracle!

“Hinata, the only humans blessed by the Nine are clans like ours. Magic runs through our veins. Mages are nothing but monsters who received their monstrous abilities from the One of Wrath to spread destruction and give him the power to corrupt men. Why do you think they’re executed by the crown?”

Neiji flinched at his uncle’s soft voice and felt his eyes widen because of the surprise. How could he say such a thing? Mages were not monsters! Anyway, the Hokage, the Daimyō’s right hand, was a mage. So why hunt the other? It made no sense. Next to him, Hinata got up, her fists clenched.

“Father, you must be wrong! The mages were blessed by the Nine, otherwise, why would the eight others not stop the One of Wrath to create mages?” she replied vividly.

Hiashi frowned and towered them. Neiji felt his stomach clench as a chill ran down his spine. He instinctively got up and stood before Hinata.

“Hinata, you’re my daughter and I love you, but don’t speak to me like again or the consequences would be quite unpleasant. I’m sure you’re just anxious, so I will forgive. Why don’t you go outside with Neiji? Fresh air would surely help you.”

She opened her mouth to reply something but Neiji intervened. How could his cousin not see her father’s aura? How could she not see he was not exaggerating when he talked about unpleasant consequences?

“Of course, uncle, I will bring Hinata to the gardens. Fresh air will soothe her”, he quickly replied.

Then, before Hinata could reply, he dragged her in the corridor and wind engulfed them as he brought her to his chambers as fast as he could. He quickly opened and closed the door before releasing his cousin’s hand, whose widened eyes indicated her surprise. But annoyance quickly replaced surprise and she frowned.

“Why did you do this, Neiji? I have to explain to father that –”

“Couldn’t you see he was mad?” he replied, cutting her off. He sighed, annoyed. Hinata was dreamy and she seemed to believe that her parents, whom she idealized, never got angry. “He was going to be angry at you, I took you here to protect you”, he added.

“Father would never be mean with me…”, she said, holding her skirts. “He’s just worried for mother.”

Neiji felt his anger disappearing as soon as it as appeared when his cousin sat on the bed, eyes on the ground. She was trying to convince herself, not him. He walked towards her and sat by her side before opening his arms. She immediately cuddled against him, like they always did when she was sad. When he was unhappy, he would lay down on her knees and she would sing for him but today, he had to look after her. Poor Hinata! She was already lady Cho, and her father had gotten angry and told horrible lies about mages. He caressed her hair and she put her arms around his waist, hugging him as if he were her doll.

“I’m sure uncle Hiashi didn’t want to speak like that. But he was still angry, and I didn’t want you to be sad.”

He felt her nod against him and suddenly heard her sniffing. He froze for an instant before leaning down but Hinata turned her head so he would not see her face. Neiji frowned and grabbed his cousin’s chin to force her to look at him. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her lower lip was shaking. 

Neiji felt his entire body tense and his stomach twist violently as if he was about to throw up. He hated Hinata’s tears. She was supposed to smile, sing, dance and encourage him when he was training and when he would participate in tourneys. She was not supposed to cry. Il hugged her again, keeping her against him so she would not see his clenched teeth and his eyebrows frowning. He wanted to kick something, but he did not know what, and his legs swung nervously.

There was a sudden knock on the door, and he looked up before biting his cheeks. Should he open? Or pretend no one was here so they could be left alone? He felt Hinata strengthen up and saw her wipe her tears. No. He would not open. He wanted to be left alone with Hinata. Even though they were too old for that, they would nap, and everything would be better once they would wake up. The One of the Woods gave beautiful dreams to worthy children, and Neiji was sure they were both good. A nap would be the best remedy.

“Miss Hinata, Neiji, I know you’re both here”, someone said through the door and Neiji jumped in surprise. He had forgotten someone was here.

He frowned, looked at Hinata and, resigned, opened the door. Ser Ko was standing in front of the entrance, a sadden look on his face. Hinata’s soft footsteps signalled her approach and she stopped behind him, without any doubt her hands crossed on her belly to stop them from shaking. It was always the case when she was stopping herself from crying.

“May I come in?”, he asked.

Neiji nodded and stepped aside, studying the knight’s body language. Would he defend Hiashi’s words about mages? If that was the case, Neiji would kick him out and would have him punished. He was not the heir of Pearlforest, but he was still Hiashi’s nephew. Soldiers and servants obeyed him. Surely, he could punish Ko. But would his uncle allow it? He bit his lip. Most likely not, now that he thought about it – why would he if Ko were to defend his lies?

“Sit down. I’m going to explain something to you”, the knight said.

Neiji glanced at Hinata and their eyes met. He nodded and her cousin complied and sat on the edge of the bed. He joined and wanted to giver her his hand to hold but Hinata’s fists were firmly clenched on her skirt. He sighed internally; she was trying to hold back her tears and to look brave and strong. Why? She did not have to; he was here to protect her.

“Mages are not the product of the One of Wrath, about that you’re both right. Nevertheless, they represent a threat, but not the kind you think of.”

Neiji frowned. What was Ko implying? What threat could the mages possibly represent?

“Do you know how clans like ours became high lords? By being the strongest”, the knight continued. “We were the strongest of the region and we defeated the Inuzukas and the Yamanakas, who became our bannermen. It’s the same thing with the other regions and the other kingdoms. Kingdoms were built by the law of the strongest, do you understand?”

Neiji nodded and swallowed hard. He did want to think that the Hyūgas, who loved nothing more than their forests, had one day been power-hungry enough to fight and conquer the other clans. But it was the only explanation that made sense, now that he thought about it. No clan would submit to another without a good reason. Next to him, Hinata nodded, and she seemed to have somehow calmed down a bit. She had always been passioned by history and legends, after all.

“Some mages, like the Kage, are extremely powerful. What would happen if someone as powerful as the Hokage decided to take over Yggalë? The lords, as kind as they may be, hate the idea of losing their power. Therefore, they eliminate the potential threats…”

Neiji felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dropped on his head. Lords like his uncle and surely his father killed innocents just to keep their lordship? It was awful! They were monstrous, criminals with no honour, and they deserved to be dragged by the One of Wrath to his domain! 

“It’s horrible!” Hinata exclaimed.

“I share your opinion, miss. But I want you to know that the lords Hiashi and Hizashi love you as much if not more than the clan. They’d never hurt you.”

“What good does it make?”, Neiji snarled. “The Mother Of All must be appalled, and the One of the Woods won’t keep on blessing Yggalë if we kill people blessed by the Nine!”

“The Nine and the Mother Of All don’t see time and life the way we do. We all go to the Gold Fields after our death and that’s matter to them”, Ko replied.

“But…”, he stuttered.

“I’m not asking to abandon your beliefs. But you’re both going to spend several years in Konoha, and it’s very poorly looked upon to criticize the High Lords and the Daimyō. Promise me you’ll be careful, please.”

Neiji did not reply, his fists clenched. He may be only eleven years old, but he hated feeling powerless. His father was a murderer, and so was his uncle. Furious tears filled his eyes and he lowered his head, biting his lips. He would not let Ko see him like that. Only Hinata could witness his tears because only she could understand. Any other day, he would have welcomed his father’s compassion, but it was not the case anymore. He would not allow this murderer to see him sad. He did not deserve it. His fists clenched harder. He hated him. Him, and Hiashi.

After some words of politeness, Ko left them, closing the door behind him. Hinata immediately took her against her as he had done earlier. He put his head on his cousin’s laps who stroked his shoulder. He looked up at her and noticed she was seemingly looking at something he could not see.

“When I’ll be Great Lay of Yggalë, you’ll be my second in commands and we won’t let mages be killed, alright?”, she whispered.

He nodded, unable to talk. She smiled softly, having surely felt the movement of his head on her legs. She closed her eyes, breathed deeply, and her voice rose. Neiji closed his too. Nothing soothed him more than Hinata’s voice. He felt a smile appear on his lips as he recognized the first words of the Hymn of the Nine, the song every child learnt by heart in honour of the Mother Of All’s children.

_The One of Wrath_

_In bad men’s blood takes his bath._

_The One of Embers_

_In every fire purrs._

_The One of Seas_

_Knows the ocean’s mysteries._

_The One of Battles,_

_Watches over castles._

_The One of Peace,_

_Makes unfair unjust war cease._

_The One of Air_

_Carries the winds ev’rywhere._

_The One of Woods_

_Hides under flowers-made hoods._

_The One of Beasts_

_With mighty animals feasts._

_The One of Power,_

_Can make ev’ry man cower._

* * *

_Three years later._

Neiji forced his legs to keep going despite his body’s cries for mercy; he had to finish this race, he was almost done. Pushing aside the flames consuming his lungs and his throat, he pushed his muscles harder and felt he was accelerating a bit more. And, finally, after what had seemed to be an eternity of pain, he reached the finish line. He stopped, skidding the way ser Hakkio had taught him, and he glanced at the old master-at-arms.

“Well done, young man. Get some water, and then we’ll focus on swordsmanship”, the old man said.

“Yes, ser Hakkio”, Neiji replied, panting.

He fanned himself as he approached the barrel of freshwater waiting for him against a wall and plunged his head underwater before splashing his torso and drinking big gulps of water to extinguish the fire roaring in his muscles. Someone called out for him and Neiji turned around to see Hinata approaching him, clearly amused by his state. He had yet to get used to the numerous jewels announcing she was now older than twelve, and worse, to the soft tinkling following her. He too had jewels in his braid, but his were far from the thin gold chains and gems adorning Hinata’s twin braids and the bracelets snaking around her arms.

“Hinata, what are you doing here?” he asked. “I thought you’d be at your lessons.”

“I was, but mother summoned me; a messenger arrived from Konoha. We must all meet father in his office. Although I believe you might need to change beforehand”, she added after a short pause, an amused smile on her face.

Neiji glanced at his clothes and nodded before following Hinata. He bided good day to the master-at-arms, who muttered something about resting far from children. Neiji smiled, amused; ser Hakkio could grumble as much as he wanted, everyone knew that deep down he loved the castle’s children very much.

Hinata accompanied him to grab dry clothes and, while he was drying himself behind a screen, his cousin threw him some clothes. A white shirt, pearl grey pants and a doublet of the same colour. He quickly put them on, and they hastily left his chambers, fearing they might be disputed for being late. Neiji glanced at Hinata, a bit entertained by the situation; he knew she hated displeasing her mother in away way. He had learnt not to care; his aunt was far too loving to reproach him a few minutes of lateness, and he could not care less about his father and Hiashi’s opinion even though, just like Hinata, he hid his repulsion.

“The last one owes the other a dessert”, he said to defy his cousin and think of something else.

“Well-behaved ladies don’t run in corridors”, Hinata replied, hitting him lightly on the shoulder.

“Yet, they hit their defenceless cousin!”, he falsely whined. “And you’re not any other well-behaved lady. A Hyūga who doesn’t run is far more shameful if you ask me!” he added, eyeing her.

She looked up at him, opened her mouth to reply, closed it, smiled and dashed away in the corridor like a gush of wind. Neiji shook her head and mimicked her. He loved the sensation feeling him as he ran; his field of vision was vastly reduced but he could feel the air dancing on his body, and he felt like the wind himself. Elusive, agile, fast. He slightly forced on his legs and easily bypassed his cousin’s blurred silhouette. He stopped before his uncle’s office and leaned against the wall, arms crossed on his torso, a slightly arrogant smile on his face as Hinata stopped before him less than a second later.

“Fortunately, my hair hasn’t moved!”, she sighed. “If had lost my hairstyle and my dessert, this day would have been a disaster!”, she added. “And stop smiling, you’re a squire, it’s only natural that you’d be faster than me!”

“Let me enjoy my victory and my second dessert”, he laughed.

She softly giggled before knocking on the door. A voice allowed them to come in and she immediately put on a dignified expression Neiji disliked compared to her natural smile. And yet, he enjoyed being the only one to whom she showed her true smile; it proved him that she loved him as much as he loved her, and that she trusted him. 

Inside Hiashi’s office, they found a white-haired stranger with a mask on the lower part of his face, who was wearing light armour and a sword at his hip. Neiji noticed that his father was late, but he was not surprised; the reunion would most likely start without him. Neiji bowed his head and Hinata offered a soft but impersonal smile which worked well with her body language. Welcoming but slightly on guard. Sometimes he wondered if he was not insane, analysing all of his cousin’s expressions, but ser Ko had told him it was important to be able to read other people’s face if one wished to become a capable fighter and that analysing Hinata’s face, with whom he shared a strong bond, was a good training.

She offered this exact smile to her father since Hanabi’s birth three years ago, hiding her cold wrath under the attitude of a well-behaved lady and perfect daughter. Hiashi seemed to have not noticed, for he still encouraged and indulged her, but it did not surprise Neiji. He had not spent enough time with his daughter to truly know her.

“Ser Kakashi, my eldest daughter, Hinata, and my nephew, Neiji”, Hiashi said.

“My lady, young lord, I’m honoured to meet you.”

“The honour is ours, ser”, Hinata replied in a soft voice.

They sat side by side and Hanabi ran to her sister from their mother’s laps and Hinata sat her on her own laps, keeping her against her and allowing her to play with her braids as the situation was being explained.

“Ser Kakashi comes from Konoha to share with us terrible news; the Daimyō is ill, and thus I must return to the capitol to take his place”, Hiashi explained, but Neiji was not surprised. “Until I’m crowned, Hinata, Neiji, you will accompany me to Konoha and Yggalë will be under Cho’s care. After my coronation, Hinata, you will return to Yggalë to take your place as Great Lady. Cho will join me with Hanabi, and we will stay in Konoha.”

“Uncle, if I may… What of me?” Neiji asked, his stomach twisted unpleasantly. Would he be separated from Hinata?

“We’ll see at the moment. Maybe you’ll have a wife in Konoha of responsibilities in the kingdom.”

He nodded, holding back a bitter reply. He did not care about the kingdom! He wanted to remain by Hinata’s side, live in Yggalë and, should he get married, he would take his back to Yggalë. As the future right hand of the region’s heir, he ought to live in Pearlforest. He looked at his cousin; her mask of worry for the Daimyō and decorum was perfect, and anyone unfamiliar with her true nature would never know she was faking. Hinata was not saddened by the Daimyō’s health; she bore no ill for she bore no ill to anyone, but she did not feel anything for the Daimyō.

Some other uninteresting – at best – information was shared, his father’s arrival briefly interrupting the discussion, before they were finally allowed to leave. He immediately followed Hinata, who took his arm for a stroll in the gardens, Hanabi on his shoulders. His cousin was the only person who understood him, and he was the only one understanding her. Yggalë would prosper for decades under their reign.


	4. The prince in the shadows

Gaara ran a hand through his blood-red hair, moving apart his locks, locking for a white root the hairdresser would have missed. However, as usual, Misa had done a great job. Relieved, he let go of his hair, which was now ruffled and spiky. Misa would probably be saddened to see her work ruined but he enjoyed his hair like this; it gave him the impression that he enjoyed the Sunan wind too. The idea of the wind caressing his skin under the warm and resplendent sun of the capitol was a dream that would never become true. His eyes fell on the heavy curtains stopping the sunlight from entering his chambers when an arrow of pain pierced his skull.

A grunt of pain escaped his lips and, as one hand instinctively grabbed the right side of his head, clawing his hair, the other gripped the edge of the dressing table. A cackle echoed in his mind and he closed his eyes, teeth clenched and his grip tightening on the piece of furniture’s wood.

_Well kid, dreaming of dancing under the sun? It will never happen! You are a child of the moon, and the sun shall never shine on your skin!_

The wood broke in his hand, and Gaara fell on his knees, panting, as the echo of the cackle disappeared little by little in the back of his mind as the monster got back to sleep. A long sigh escaped his lips and he got up slowly. The One of Wrath was not a kind partner, and Gaara was sure that the god loved reminding him of his curse to feed on his despair. He walked a few steps towards the curtain, contemplating once again opening them and feel, at least once in his life, the warmth of the aster directly on his skin, and it would not matter if it burnt or made him feel unconscious.

His hand approached the curtain, but he noticed something move from the corner of the eye. The shadows of the room were gathering, ready to create a wall between him and the deadly white. His teeth clenched. He could control them at will, but there was one exception. They would always move on their own to protect him from any danger. He had tried to find a place with no shadow to be free, but it was impossible. There would always be his own shadow or one between his clothes.

He clenched his teeth again and lowered his hand. No matter how much he wanted to feel the sun on his skin, he would never be able to. Even if the shadows did not intervene, he knew his state would make his mother go crazy with worry. He turned away from the curtains to grab his daily equipment. Gloves to protect his arms, a mask covering the lower part of his face and going down on his torso to make sure his skin would not be accidentally be exposed, and a long coat with a hood to protect the rest of his face.

He also owned an umbrella should he want to enjoy the garden at dawn or dusk, but he was not in the mood to watch the other children of the castle run away at his sight. He already had to eat with his family, and he loathed the idea because of his presence’s, the Daimyō Rasa Hisuna. The mere sight of his father twisted his stomach into a knot and awoke the dark desires the One of Wrath almost always whispered. The monster sealed within him made destructive thoughts echo in his mind simply by being there and robbed him of his sleep, especially during full moons, his roars resonating in Gaara’s mind. He ran a hand on his face and whispered a few words for the One of Peace, hoping she would offer him his support for the difficult meal ahead of him.

He left his chambers, ignoring the weight of the servants’ looks he passed by. He did not want their pity; they all thought of him as a broken toy, a weapon unused, a failed experiment who should not have lived. They all hid it behind compassionate smiles and sweet words, but Gaara was not easily fooled. No one could love a monster like him, except his mother, although she was far from demonstrative compared to her relationships with her other children. He had no doubt that his siblings hated him in secret too. They could at least have the decency to be honest and tell him. He slightly shook his head. No, they were surely terrified that the One of Wrath would take over and slaughter them all. The god often reminded him of this, and Gaara had simply accepted the truth of his existence; a prison loathed and feared by all.

He found the member of his family in a room where most of the curtains had been closed. The table was in the shadow, but some couches and the balcony were bathed in the sunlight, which spread and lighten the room. Some candelabras had been added to remedy the lack of light. Gaara felt his stomach twist. He would most be scolded for being the last to arrive, and his heart hurt far too much to accept it in silence.

“Gaara, here you are!”, his father said. “Sit down, I have great news to share.”

The prince’s eyes widened slightly but he quickly obeyed. He did not know what put his father in such a good mood, but he did not want it to change. A family meal with no insult regarding his bloodlust would be most welcomed today. He glanced at his mother, the queen Karura, who offered him a soft and loving smile. He smiled back, forcing his lips to obey. Smiling was not in his nature, or at least not in this context, but it pleased his mother. Temari’s voice, his elder sister, brought him back to reality.

“What news would you like to share with us, father?”

“First of all, Hiruzen Sarutobi is soon going to abdicate; surely in a few years, the time it will take for his illness to kill him or to convince him to give up his throne. The Kingdom of Fire will have a new Daimyō.”

“Which clan has been chosen?”, his mother asked.

“The Hyūgas. I’m not very surprised, the Yggalën are rich and their region prosperous.”

“Hiashi Hyūga will be Daimyō, then”, Temari concluded. “What do we know about him, exactly? I only know his name.”

“Hiashi has been High Lord of Yggalë since he was fifteen, and his rule has been more than prosperous. He enriched his region, who already had enough money. He hunts mages down with more than enough zeal but has never broken a law. He’s got a daughter of Gaara’s age, Hinata, who the Yggalën call the Snowborn. She was born during a snowstorm and, given the climate of the region, it doesn’t snow more than here”, the Daimyō explained.

Gaara was only half-listening; the destiny of the Kingdom of Fire did not interest him more than his father’s one. He was hated and loathed by his countrymen, so he could not begin to imagine the looks and comments he would be subjected to by the subjects of the neighbouring land. He only wished for one thing; being old enough to live the Kingdom of Wind to settle down in the Kingdom of Water, where the mist ruled and the sun always absent. There, he would be able to live outside.

“But it’s not all. The next Daimyō reunion will be hosted in Suna and take place in two months. I expect from all of you a perfect attitude. Temari, Kankurō, you will assist to every meeting, our Council will observe you. Hiashi will surely bring his daughter with you. Gaara, you will do your very best as to not frighten her. Yggalë shares a border with us, and our relationship with them is vital.

Gaara merely nodded. He would simply the aforementioned lady, it would be far easier. He was cursed, possessed, monstrous. Anyone with common sense was afraid of him. Not that he minded; it allowed him to enjoy his beloved solitude, but it was obvious that he was not the person they should count on to bond with a future Great Lady.

* * *

Gaara quickly walked down the stairs leading to the training room and found it empty, to his surprise. No knights or squires were in sight, not even the master-at-arms. Gaara frowned. Were they still eating? It was possible. Or maybe they had been called somewhere else, and he simply did not know. Finally, he shrugged; he enjoyed his solitude and he would not complain to have this place for himself. He took his cloak, his gloves and his mask off, revealing a skin so white it looked akin to snow. He grabbed a lance and put himself in front of a mannequin to begin his daily training.

A few minutes later, his siblings arrived. Her sister delicately put her shawl and her skirts, which she wore over silk pants, on a bench, leaving her clad in the aforementioned pants and a sleeveless shirt. As always, she wore white and lavender, two light colours rejecting the inferno of Suna’s steppes. If only he too could savour this light and this warmth… He clenched his teeth and focused on the mannequin.

“Gaara, do you know the whereabouts of the master-at-arms?”, Kankurō suddenly asked.

“No.”

He kept on hitting the mannequin, discarding the weight of his siblings’ gaze upon him. Could they not stop staring at him? Were they not used to his appearance and curse, after all these years? Or did they believe that he enjoyed exhibiting his skin when they were blessed with a tanned kissed by the sun? This thought made him roar in rage deep in mind and the subsequent blow he landed on the mannequin destroyed the object, tearing it off the floor and send it crash a few meters away. He looked at the broken thing on the ground and sighed.

He went to pick it up when a chill ran down his spine. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face the entry of the room. Someone was coming, and they were aura was misshapen. He crossed his arms on his chest and went to stand in the middle of the room, his eyes never leaving the door. He gathered the shadows around him and the ones he had absorbed and blended with his own under his feet, creating a disk of pure darkness.

“Temari, Kankurō, stand back”, he ordered.

“Gaara, what’s happening?”, Temari asked.

“Someone is coming.”

His siblings stood by his sides, their hands on their weapons.

“Stand back”, he repeated.

“You’re not the only one able to fight”, Kankurō replied.

Gaara’s jaws clenched, but he did not reply. He would not let them die, but he would prefer it if they obeyed. After waiting for what seemed to be eternity, the person appeared. It was an old woman, but Gaara would not let her appearance deceived him. Something was wrong with the woman’s aura, and she reeked of corruption. The One of Wrath was restless in his mind, and it was enough for Gaara to conclude that this woman was far from innocent.

“It’s you!”, she sang when she saw Gaara. “You’re the living prison!”

Gaara frowned his white eyebrows. She was after the One of Wrath. She was not the first, but the others had been nothing but dimwits the guards had arrested and executed on their own. She, however, was more dangerous than these fools, he could feel it, even though she stood no chance against him. Her presence in this room was proof enough and, despite the lack of blood and its smell, it was likely that she had killed the guards and the master-at-arms.

“I waited this day for so long! The day I’d meet him!”

“She’s lost her mind”, Kankurō remarked.

“And you’re perceptive”, Temari mocked. “Gaara, you should stand back, we don’t know what she’s capable of.”

“I have no need to be protected.”

“Of course, you do”, Temari replied. “You’re our younger brother, do you truly believe we’ll allow this woman to approach you?”

“I’m aware that you’re afraid of me. Stand back or I’ll make you.”

He felt Temari’s body tense next to him and smirked. He was right. Behind their compassionate words hid two cowards who could not even tell the truth. The One of Wrath was not the kindest of companion, but he was an honest prisoner. Gaara was his prison, it was the sole reason for his existence. Conceived to contain the god and use for the Kingdom of Wind. This was how humans saw him, and frankly, how he saw himself. What else could a cursed one be? He attempted to satisfy his mother and would not allow himself to die, but he could not figure what else he could be, although it did not matter. As long as he lived and his mother smiled, he was content.

He stepped forward, and the shadow twirled around him, akin to a living mist, as he cocked his head to the side, waiting for her to move. He usually reacted instead of starting hostilities unless he was sure to win quickly and easily. Moreover, he wanted answers.

“Where are the guards?”, he asked.

“Why, they’re dead, young prison. I wasn’t going to let them interrupt the meeting with my lord. This prince and this princess are in the way”, she added.

“You will not harm them. Answer quickly and clearly, and your death will be fast.”

“My death? I don’t care for my death of pain. I simply wish to release my lord from you, young prison.”

“It will not happen.”

The woman smiled but something was queer. Her smile was too big, her face too stretched and suddenly, her mouth opened. However, it was not a human mouth, but rather animalistic jaws filled with fangs putting Gaara’s ones to shame. He frowned as the woman’s body twisted and distorted itself to become something akin to a giant beast, about five meters tall. She had most likely swallowed whole the guards of the room. It would explain the lack of blood.

Without a doubt, she would do her best to kill him and therefore free the essence of the One of Wrath sealed within him. After a few years, the essence would shape, and the god would be free to wreak havoc upon men as it pleased him. Gaara heard his siblings’ weapons falling to the ground as the smell of their fear filled the room. He rolled his eyes. Where were their beautiful words now that the danger was inevitable?

“Are you certain, young prison?” the creature growled.

“Absolutely.”

He focused and the shadow darted towards her. The woman shook her immense body and soared towards him but Gaara did not move. The shadow became a black mass and captured the woman’s body with no difficulty. What a fool. Did this pathetic mage truly think she could defeat him? She surely had no difficulties against regular humans, but he was the prison of the One of Wrath. As corrupt as she may be, she would need more than a weak blessing from the One of Beasts to defeat him. A smile twisted his face. He was having a terrible day and killing this woman would be a perfect way to ease his anger. He rose an arm, palm toward the roof, and the shadow lifted the monstrous body.

Gaara cackled at the sight of her futile resistance. She was doomed, akin to a bug he could crush under his boot. He gave her one last smile and close his hand. The shadow immediately clenched, crushing her body. Its duty accomplished, the shadow came back under his feet as the mangled and bloody body of the intruder fell to the ground.

“We must find guards to escort you”, he said to Temari and Kankurō.

“G-Gaara…”, his sister muttered. “I-I’m sorry, I was afraid, I should have helped you…”

He turned his head toward her and locked his eyes into hers. Was she blind or simply dim-witted?

“You cannot help me. You are weaker than me. Admit your weakness and your scorn for me, it should remove a weight from your shoulders.”

After these words, he turned around and walked towards the exit, arms crossed on his chest. They would follow him. After a few seconds, he heard Kankurō’s precipitated footsteps and his brother stood before him, his fists clenched.

“Listen to me. Neither Temari nor I have the same powers as you, you cannot blame us for being afraid before a monster like the one you just killed. It’s not as easy for us as it is for you. Yes, we are weak compared to you, and you could probably make blood rain on the entire castle if you tried. You can call me a coward and a weak as much as you want, I don’t care. But don’t ever say that we loathe you again!”, he yelled, and Gaara frowned. “Temari and I love you more than we love father and mother! When you were born, you were small, weak and premature and, even though everyone thought you’d die, we never doubted one second that you would be fine. Because we already loved. And we still do.”

“You’re afraid of me. You cannot love something you’re afraid of”, Gaara replied, cocking his head to the side.

“This is where you’re mistaken. We love you despite our fear.”

“I do not understand.”

“Love isn’t something you can understand. Believe me, for once”, Kankurō grumbled before turning around and leaving the room.

Temari ran to him and stopped facing Gaara, her face saddened and resigned. She took his hand Gaara allowed her, unable to understand why she would squeeze it this much.

“I know love is something unknown to you, for only mother openly cares for you, and that you don’t understand what we feel for you. But I swear that I love you, and not a day passes without cursing myself for fearing your powers and the monster asleep in your mind”, she confessed, tears appearing in the corner of her eyes. “Thank you for saving us today. When you will be ready, whether it is today, tomorrow, or in ten years, allow us to love you, alright?”

Gaara watched her leave in silence.


	5. The Kingdom of Wind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you sooo much for the comment, it really made my day! I love you very much :D

Hinata had always dreamt to see Konoha, to witness the mightiest tourneys, to meet the noblest knights and the most graceful ladies. To her great dismay, she swiftly concluded that the capitol was not worthy of the laudatory stories and songs she had heard. Not only the beauty of the capitol could not dream to rival the luxurious forests and the verdant plains of Yggalë, but the inhabitants seemed to have a quite insulting opinion of the Yggalëns and seemed to believe all the Yggalën women were whores for a reason she could not begin to understand. 

If she had first thought it was nothing but the opinion of some commoners and drunk soldiers, she had had to accept the truth. This degrading opinion was shared by many inhabitants and nobles alike. She would never the day when the _Yggalën Maiden_ had been sung and the last verse ignored. When she had naively asked why, she had been looked at by wide eyes before being told there was not last verse. Taken aback, she had sung it herself, borrowing the minstrel's harp to do so. Still believing in the Konohan nobles' kindness, she had put all of her heart in the melody.

_The knight was riding, lonely when he found_

_An Yggalën maiden singing in the plains._

_Her sweet voice captured him like chains,_

_And she was fairer than a battleground._

_The fair Yggalën maiden was a lady,_

_Daughter of another master of arms,_

_Who protected his sweet daughter’s charms,_

_But the knight, ô the knight was so greedy._

_So, he tasted the Yggalën soft girl,_

_Who sang in the most beautiful voice._

_The travelling knight stood by his choice_

_And when he left he stole her a curl._

_But the sweet lady’s father sang too,_

_He sang with no voice but an Yggalën lance._

_He offered to the knight his final dance,_

_And the blade was the knight’s final view._

_And before his greedy heart ceased to beat,_

_His mind thought of long black curls,_

_Of two beautiful and shining pearls,_

_Of a golden sand soft skin’s sweet heat._

_He would meet the One of Wrath,_

_And the maiden would keep singing,_

_And the maiden would keep dancing,_

_For he would never again cross her path._

Her voice and talents had been immediately lauded, but all had denied the existence of the last four lines. According to them, the Yggalën maiden had no reason to celebrate the knight's death for she was his mistress and had willingly given herself to him. Hinata had immediately felt rage feel her heart. How could they say such things of the women of her region? Were they nothing but whores, in their mind? She had never been angrier than this night; even the wrath she had felt upon discovering her father's actions could not hope to rival this fury, this injustice.

She had run to Neiji, who had reported her being eyed by the other squires, who would jest about his skin tone. Hinata had never cared for her golden skin until this moment but hearing the existence of those jests had frozen her blood in her veins. After this fateful day, she had decided that only Neiji, Hamya and Hanike – who were her ladies in waiting – would keep her company. She had no intention to involve herself with such dim-witted people. She only dreamt of one thing: going back to Pearlforest. She would far happier there, surrounded by her people.

She had asked her father why nobles and commoners alike seemed to despise them, and if he could do anything about it. However, she was met by a simple and unsatisfying sentence: "My dear Hinata, those who believe such things are dim-witted, don't pay them any attention". She had never despised an answer like this. It was, besides a blatancy, of no use at all.

The only quality she had found in Konoha, besides a few quite amusing tourneys, was a small kiosk hidden in a corner of the garden, surrounded by vivid roses. She enjoyed spending her afternoons there whether she was harping, reading, embroidering, or educating herself with the Lula in charge of her, but who was as different as Lula Natsu as possible. She prefered it when the woman was absent, but her wishes did not matter in such a situation.

She was in this kiosk, harping with Hamya and Hanika when her father joined her on a sunny afternoon reminding her of the Yggalën summer. She saw him from afar, his broad shoulders and impressive height making him far from discrete. She immediately stopped playing music and her two distant cousins turned around before imitating her.

"Father!" she exclaimed, a soft smile on her face. "What brings you here?"

"I have some news to share, sweet daughter. Hamya, Hanika, don't bow and sit, you're all concerned", her father said tenderly but Hinata did not allow his tone to fool her; he was still a murderer.

"Would you like some tea and some biscuits? I had them brought from the kitchens", she offered. "They're ideal with this sun."

"Gladly", he replied and whilst she poured him a cup - she had had a good idea to bring another cup, although she would have prefered to pour it for Neiji instead of her father - he kept talking. "We're invited to the next Daimyō's reunion in Suna, in the Kingdom of Wind. Hinata, I dare hope that this journey will please you."

The next Daimyō's reunion? It would be far more interesting and agreeable than life in Konoha! She smiled sincerely, enthusiast at the idea of visiting a new country of which she knew no one but the rider Ryn met three years ago. She could not wait to tell Neiji about their new journey. He would be, without a doubt, as glad as she was and would want to learn how to ride as well as the renowned riders of the Kingdom of Wind.

"I would be honoured to visit a capitol like Suna, father. Who will accompany us?"

"The Hokage Jiraiya will be in charge of our security. We leave in two days, and your ladies in waiting will come as well. I don't want you to feel alone", he added.

"What about Neiji?", Hinata asked.

Why had he not mentioned Neiji? Her cousin had to follow them, she would not leave the capitol without him, she would not abandon him to the vultures and insults of this wretched place. Her stomach twisted at the idea of being separated from her cousin. He was her best friend, her confidant, she needed him. A single day without him would already be hard, so an entire journey? It was unthinkable, he had to be here.

"Sadly, I must maintain a Yggalën presence in Konoha and Neiji, being my nephew, will remain here with the rest of our household."

"Then I shall remain too", she firmly said without raising her voice. "I will be the Yggalën presence. I'm its future Great Lady, am I not? Who else than me could represent Pearlforest?"

"Alas, if I could, I would leave you with Neiji, but Konoha isn't safe for you. Moreover, the Kingdom of Wind is an important economic partner of Yggalë and you ought to meet its highest dignitaries", he answered calmly.

"You would leave Neiji here when it isn't safe by your own admission? How can do you this?", she replied, her voice strangled.

"Neiji isn't my heir, he won't be in any kind of danger."

Hinata bit the inside of her lips in order to retain her tears. It was unfair! How could he take Neiji away from her? Her fists clenched on her skirts, and she breathed deeply. She would not show him her sadness, he did not deserve it. She forced her face to keep a neutral expression and looked up at her father.

"Very well father, it will be done as you wish. May I be excused? I would like to tell Neiji about the news."

"Of course."

Hamya and Hanika hurried after her and, as soon as they were out of her father's line of sight, Hinata stopped and hid her face in her hands. Her cousins embraced her and sit her on a bench, caressing her braids ornated with jewellery. Soon, tears were running down Hinata's cheeks. She did not want to be parted from Neiji; it was so unfair, so abject!

"Everything will be fine, miss", Hamya told her. "We'll be here, and we'll make sure that the journey goes as swiftly as possible."

"I'll miss him so much!" sobbed Hinata, looking up at them. "If the capital is as dangerous as Father says, something might happen to him, and I wouldn't be here! What if some enemy sends assassins after him?"

"Ser Kō would protect him", Hanika replied him. "You'll be able to write to him when we'll arrive. Think of everything you'll tell him!", she added all the while arranging her hair.

"It wouldn't be like living it with him...", she sighed, eyes on her hands.

"You'll live it with us. We'll help you find a superb present to bring him. What do you think? You can offer it to him for his birthday, I'm sure he'll be overjoyed."

Hinata slowly nodded and her cousins tenderly dried her tears, then they helped her to get up and took one of her arms each.

"Let's go see him and organise how you may spend time with him for the next two days. I'm sure sir Kō will have no objection", Hamya offered.

* * *

Neiji's eyes widened more than Hinata thought it was possible when she told him the terrible news, her voice strangled and his hands in hers. Then, his expression shifted from surprise to anger, and he hugged her, keeping her against him for a far too short instant before putting his forehead against hers, his calloused hands on her cheeks.

"Write to me when you arrive and be careful. Stay with Hamya and Hanika no matter what", he said.

Hinata barely nodded and put her hands on his wrists, swallowing a sob. His voice, his warmth, his smile, she would miss him so much! This journey would be torture!

"I promise. Be careful to not be knighted in my absence, I would be very cross if I couldn't assist to such an event!", she added with a smile, hoping to lighten the mood.

He stepped away from her and looked directly in her eyes, a smile stretching the corner of his mouth. Anger had disappeared from his face, replaced by resigned acceptance.

"It's an oath", he replied. "How could I be knighted if my lady isn't here?"

"You couldn't", she laughed. "Would you spend these two days with me? I want to see you as much as possible before father takes me away from you."

"Nothing would make me refuse", he replied.

Hinata felt a smile appear on her lips. Neiji was irreplaceable. He was the only knight she would ever need and the best friend she could dream of. He spent these two days spoiling her and they played with Hamya and Hanika or just the two of them, dancing, chasing after each other, laughing and simply enjoying each other's presence.

When the dreaded hour of departure, Hinata felt her throat go dry. She had been distraught since she had awoken, but now, she feared that her voice might break if she was to speak! What horror to be separated from Neiji like this. She watched, heartbroken, as servants put their luggage in a cart as her father and the Daimyō Hiruzen Sarutobi were speaking. The old man approached her after some time, his father by his side and Hinata curtsied immediately, eyes on the ground.

"Young lady, I wish you a pleasant journey. The Kingdom of Wind is a beautiful place, who could only dream of competing with your beauty, though", the Daimyō told her with a voice corroded by time.

"You're too kind, Your Highness. Suna could not hope to compete with Konoha", she replied, blushing prettily; men always enjoyed when women blushed at their compliments, and she had mastered the art of blushing at will.

"Well spoken", the old man laughed. "Hiashi, your daughter is without a doubt one of the loveliest Yggalën ladies I've ever had the pleasure to encounter", he added.

Hinata clenched her jaws. Why did he feel compelled to exclude Yggalën women like this? None of the ones she had met was how he seemed to think.

"Isn't this your nephew running towards us?"

Hinata quickly looked up and turned around. Neiji was running towards her at human speed, a box in his hand. He bowed before the Daimyō, who waved his salutations away, then turned to Hinata and handed her the box.

"Hinata, this is for you. I had it forged", he added.

"Oh, Neiji, thank you! May the Nine bless you!"

She opened the box and her eyes widened. A pair of bracelets made for her upper arms were resting on a pillow of red velvet. The bracelets had the shape of a snake, the symbol of their clan. She grabbed them and observed them, mesmerized. They were splendid!

"They're made of luthèn. This metal keeps the form it was shaped into, but it’s flexible enough to be put on and off as you wish. Allow me", he offered, and Hinata nodded, smiling.

Neiji carefully spread the metal and delicately put the bracelets on her naked arms. Once in place, the bracelets tightened around her arms and stayed in place, immobile although Hinata was twirling to make sure they would not fall.

"Neiji, they're marvellous!" she exclaimed.

"I knew they'd be to your liking", he replied, smiling.

She jumped in his arms and he spun her around before putting her down before him, their smiles so different - Hinata's one was discrete and soft, Neiji's larger and mischievous - but so alike for both expressed nothing but affection and trust.

After kissing him goodbye, Hinata climbed into the coach, followed by Hamya, Hanika, her father, and the Hokage. She opened the curtain, waved Neiji goodbye one last time and the horses started their slow pace. The journey for Suna started, and apprehension twisted her stomach. Would the inhabitants of Suna react negatively at the sight of her golden skin? Or would they be more welcoming and understanding the ones of Konoha? She loathed the looks and comments she had received on her appearance and the women of her beloved homeland.

She glanced at the Hokage. Jiraiya. She had never had the opportunity to be alone with the mage, but she would not complain about it. His eyes were cold and distant, his manners lacking, and he seemed uninterested by everything. She had no idea what she could tell him but the rare civilities they had sometimes exchanged. His presence uneased her. He had never done nor said anything inappropriate to her and a few years ago, she would have been ecstatic to meet a mage as renowned as the Hokage, but now that she knew the fate dooming all the other mages of the kingdom and his participation in this slaughter, she could not trust him.

* * *

The journey was uneventful, albeit long, and they soon reached Suna's steppes. Despite the blazing warmth of the region, could not help but admire it. Far different from the Yggalën verdant plains, the steppes were still, in their own way, full of life. Wild animals ran away from their convoy and or watched it from afar, perched on rocks. Charmed, she invited Hamya and Hanika to observe the landscape with her. They gazed upon the beauty of the steppes as immense and beautiful birds flew above their heads, their braids and loose locks carried by the wind. Hinata closed her eyes, enjoying the wind caressing her face and dancing with her hair.

When they arrived at Suna, the night was falling to Hinata's dismay. She would have loved to visit the palace's gardens with her cousins and find a kiosk where they could settle to be at peace and far away from uninteresting political debates. Hinata would never be more than the Great Lady of Yggalë, she had no need to assist to the negotiations between Daimyō, or future Daimyō in her father's case.

They were welcomed by a man with a heavily scarred face and a woman with orange and black hair; how strange! Hinata had never such hair colour, but she refrained herself from staring the woman's hair and politely bowed before the strangers.

"My lord, I'm Baki, the Kazekage, and this is my apprentice, Pakura. His Highness has ordered me to welcome you and escort you to the great hall. A dinner has been prepared when we noticed your convoy", the man said in a monotonous tone.

As they followed Baki and Pakura in the corridor, Hinata looked around her. The architecture of Suna was very different from the one of Pearlforest, or even Konoha for that matter! Where Pearlforest had flat ceiling and rectangular doors, everything in Suna was round, even the windows, and the doors were made of a heavier wood, from what she could tell. She noticed that there were more guards than in Konoha, but it was most likely due to the Daimyō's reunion, and she did not give much care about it.

Once before two impressive wooden doors guarded by two men, Hinata readjusted her dress and her twin braids. It was without a doubt the great hall, and she had to make the utter best impression that she could. She glanced at Hanika and Hamya, who tenderly smiled at her before stepping behind her. She did not like the idea of her cousins being behind her, implying that they were nothing more but ladies in waiting for her, but protocol demanded it.

The doors were opened for them and Hinata strengthened her back, holding herself gracefully, and followed her father. They were announced by an elderly man with a powerful voice, and the wind Daimyō, Rasa Hisuna, stood up. On his left were princess Temari and prince Kankurō, and on his right, his wife Karura and the prince Gaara, who rumours said was cursed and dangerous. Yet, from what Hinata could see in the youngest prince's eyes, he merely looked lonely, as if no one had ever offered him the warmth of a loving embrace. She felt her heart sadden for the prince with hair as red as a rose.

Most likely feeling eyes on him, he looked at her and she offered a sincere and soft smile and bowed before his family. He raised his glass like the other Hisunas, but there was no heart behind his action. He was akin to a doll someone used. Hinata felt her heart tighten again for him. Why did he seem so lonely, so sad? Had some woe befallen him? Or was it because of his curse, who would prevent him from going under the sun? If that was the case, he must feel trapped in a kingdom where the sun ruled as the master!

He looked at her again and he felt her cheeks go red, understanding she had been looking at him for several minutes now. She immediately looked down to her plate when she heard Hamya and Hanika giggle. She raised her head and saw they were mischievously smiling.

"Miss, I didn't think you'd be charmed so quickly by the prince!", Hamya laughed.

"What... What are you implying?", Hinata stuttered, unprepared.

"Don't pretend to be foolish", Hanika giggled. "Neiji might be your best friend, but we recognize this blush", she added, winking at her.

"You're being silly", Hinata scolded. "Implying such things is vile."

"We'll gladly accept our fate", Hanika replied. "Why not invite the prince to dance when the minstrels will sing something livelier?"

"I beg your pardon?", she choked.

"Oh yes!", Hamya intervened. "It's a dare, miss. It would change you from Neiji. You need new dance partners."

"He doesn't strike me as someone who would enjoy dancing", Hinata replied, trying her best to get herself out of this predicament; her cousins loved gossiping. "I don't want to force into something he doesn't enjoy."

"Don't be foolish. He's expected to dance, and so are you. So, dance with him, it will better than with a noble twice your age", Hanika replied in a tone that did not accept refusal.

"You..."

"Are right?" Hamya supplied. "Come on, what do you have to lose?"

"Nothing", she admitted. "He can't refuse, it would be ill-seen."

"Perfect!" sang Hamya. "If you don't go, I will drag you", she laughed.

Hinata could not help but giggle too. The scene would be quite hilarious.


	6. The one who was not afraid

Gaara was sitting at the royal family’s table, watching the guests and the members of his own family get up to dance when a movement in his direction caught his attention. It was lord Hiashi Hyūga’s daughter, miss Hinata, whom he had caught looking at him a few times, even though she would always look down blushing. She wore a traditional sleeveless dress of her kingdom with several skirts of different colours, many jewels in her twin braids and two snake-shaped bracelets on her upper arms. Only two short locks of black hair were free and shorter and framed her face. He remained immobile and silent as to not frighten her, remembering his father’s order. What did she want?

“Prince Gaara, I wanted the chance to greet you myself”, she said while gracefully curtsying. “Would you do me the honour of being my partner for this dance?”, she asked in a voice as soft as silk.

His eyes widened. Did she wish to dance with him? Why? Had she been ordered to get acquainted with him to manipulate him by her father? The idea infuriated him, and he wanted to tell her to leave his sight, but he could not be as harsh as he wanted to. He ought to find a polite way to tell her to leave him alone and tell her father that his ridiculous plan had failed. As if he were the first one to have this ridiculous idea! Could the rumours about him not keep the fools away from him and allow him to be as solitary as he wished?

He was about to tell her he felt ill and, to his great dismay, would not be able to dance with her when the minstrels began a new song. The eyes of the young lady immediately shone, and she clapped her hands, a smile as beautiful as a fool moonlighting her golden face. She glanced at the dancers before facing him again and extended a hand to him. Gaara watched her hand and her face for a second. Doubt filled him. Was she truly trying to manipulate him? If that was the case, he had to admit that she was gifted. He thought back to the earlier blush on her cheeks. She was mayhap honest. Almost moved by an external force, he got up and took the offered hand. She beamed again, her pure and resplendent smile still illuminating her soft-looking face.

“Thank you, my prince”, she said as they approached the other dancers.

“I’m a poor dancer, you will regret these words”, he replied, trying to be as amicable as possible.

“In that case, allow me to guide you”, she said while taking him in the middle of the other dancers, humour glinting in her eyes.

If he was a pitiful dancer, she was an unbelievably gifted one. She was gracious and agile, correcting all his mistake and smoothly avoiding his feet when he threatened to crush hers. She twirled sometimes her eyes closed, sometimes gazing in his own. He could not help but enjoy the moments when he could drown into the diamonds adorning her face. They were so pale but so expressive; he had never seen such eyes. Or no one had ever looked at him like this, at least.

A dance turned into two, into three. He lifted her and spun her around on the rhythm of a faster song and noticed that she weighed almost nothing. She was lighter than a feather in his arms and he was suddenly afraid to crush her bones with the superior strength inherited from the monster. He put her down a bit fast and she giggled, her laugh sounding like the tinkling of a thousand small bells.

“I apologize. I was afraid to hurt you”, he confessed.

“Oh, it’s because of my weight, isn’t it?” she replied. “It tends to surprise people. The Hyūgas are fast but to attain such speed, we are light, and our bones a bit fragile”, she explained.

“I see. The Hisunas have been gifted with levitation by the gods, but it had no influence on our weight”, he said, slightly cocking his head to the side, intrigued by the consequences of hereditary powers on bodies.

“The Mother of All blesses us differently.”

He nodded, swallowing a harsh reply. He had no deep love for the gods, who had sealed their voiceless brother in a human body, dooming one of them to be a prison for each generation. He could have debated with her about the gods without telling her the truth about his prisoner, but the true and soft smile she had worn whilst talking about the Mother of All had stopped him from doing so. He did not want to see this smile disappear. She was the only one who was not trying to manipulate him in one way or another.

Gaara wanted to hit himself at the though. Had he suddenly become dim-witted? A few dances meant nothing; she would run away like the others once she would learn who was sealed in him. She would look at him with the same scared eyes that had been aimed at him since his birth. Miss Hinata was mayhap as kind and lovely as she looked, but she did not seem stupid; she would walk away as soon as she would learn the truth. She would be right to do so. He was dangerous and cursed.

* * *

After a number of dances Gaara had not cared to count, they looked around and noticed that they were amongst the last dancers. Gaara blinked a few times. Had they truly danced that long? By his side, miss Hinata blushed furiously and put her hand on her cheeks, muttering some words he did not hear. She glanced at him, surely feeling his eyes on her, and smiled, her cheeks still red.

“These dances were marvellous, prince Gaara, it’s been so long since I enjoyed myself like so. I hope you’ve enjoyed dancing with me”, she said, her hands joined on her belly.

“Yes, it was enjoyable”, he replied before looking around. “It seems your father has already left”, he noticed.

She allowed her eyes to wander around the room and nodded.

“I understand; the journey was tiring. I should do the same.”

“I can only imagine. Has someone shown you your chamber?”

She slightly widened her eyes. What an expressive face! It was fascinating. People around him always refrained himself from reacting or showing the slightest emotion out of fear of his own reactions. But miss Hinata shamelessly smiled, giggled and frowned her thin eyebrows, parading her feelings like a fanfare on rain season.

“Sadly, no. I look quite foolish before you!”, she sighed.

“You don’t look foolish”, he replied, cocking his head to the side. “How could you guess where your chamber is?”

She blushed and seemed at loss of words. Gaara offered her his arm. He wanted to keep seeing this face changing along with the conversation and the events. It was such an incredible display; he wanted to caress it and see for himself if the golden sand skin was as warm as it looked. He gulped; what was happening to him? Why did this lady fascinate him so much? Had he inadvertently drunk a wine too strong for him? He was suddenly brought back to reality when she took the offered arm.

“Allow me. I will show you the guests’ keep. Your chamber will be there”, he quickly said, glad he had enough wits to swiftly come up with something.

“You’re too kind, my prince. I’m indebted to you”, she replied, following him.

“I am not kind, miss”, Gaara sighed as they walked in the nearly empty corridors.

He could feel the Hokage following them. The old man remained in the shadows to watch over the young lady oblivious to his presence. He was not trying very hard to remain hidden, surely mistaking him for a normal child, but Gaara knew exactly where he was. Nevertheless, he did nothing, listening instead to the melodious voice of miss Hinata.

“Why would say that?”, she asked. “You accepted to be my dance partner, and you walk me to my chamber.”

“If I told, you’d run away screaming, and you’d be right to do so”, he coldly replied, hoping she would not ask any further questions.

She remained silent for the rest of their walk. Gaara bit the inside of his cheeks. He had probably scared her, he only meant to change the subject! Exactly what his father had forbidden. What would his punishment be? Would he be starved? Locked outside for an entire day, his shadows desperately trying to protect him from the sun? He was but a fool, or rather the worst of them! He prayed the Mother of All miss Hinata told nothing to her father, or assume it was because of tiredness. They finally found the chamber which had been attributed to her. But rather than politely bid him good night and disappear in her chamber, she turned to him, a mischievous smile on her face and a hint of bravery glinting in her eyes.

“I fear nothing. I’m a Hyūga, I can flee everything”, she proudly announced. “Why do you think you’re not kind?”, she asked after a few seconds.

He looked at her for an instant and saw in her eyes that she would not give up. This stubbornness would surely kill her before her time, but he could not find in his heart to deny her. The sooner she ran away, the sooner she would be safe, the sooner he would be solitary again. He raised a hand, palm toward the roof. Answering his call, shadows blended, created a ball of pure darkness floating into the palm of his hand. Her eyes widened and then, an enthralled smile appeared on her face.

“You’re a mage! The Nine have blessed you!”, she exclaimed, amazed.

“No, they’ve cursed me. You and I know which god commands to the shadows, and I’ve been made his prison before my birth”, he replied in a low voice.

Her eyes immediately left the ball of shadows and landed on him, widened, as she understood his words. He was the living prison of the destructive god, of wrath incarnated, of the One of Wrath. Yet, instead of stepping back with terrified eyes, she stepped toward him and smiled sadly.

“Why would I be scared of you, my prince? You’re not responsible of the One of Wrath’s corruption or the actions done by criminals”, she said in a tender voice. “I would never judge one for being but a victim of the powerful.”

Gaara took a step back; it was impossible. She had to be scared of him, they were all scared of him! It was impossible not to fear him! He was a monster, a prison, a failed experiment, a weapon in Suna’s service. She was lying, she could not be telling the truth. He hated lies. Why could they not all admit their fears? Why hide it behind masks? An animalistic growl escaped him, and he aimed his eyes at her, expecting to find falsehood painted on her face. He only found compassion and sadness, but he did not care.

“Don’t lie! I know you’re afraid! Everyone’s afraid! I’m the prison of a good. How could you not be afraid of me?”, he growled.

“I trust my heart”, she simply said, delicately putting her hand on her chest.

“You’re dim-witted, or insane!”

“My cousin often says so”, she giggled. “Stubborn comes back quite often too. I don’t mind, it doesn’t change anything. I would never impose my presence to anyone, but don’t believe I’m afraid of you, please”, she added.

He stared at her in silence, detailing her appearance. She, whose body was so frail he could break her like a twig, whose black hair reminded him of the shadows and her eyes of the full moon, was a mystery akin to the night sky. A mystery blessed by the sun which had kissed her amber skin. Why was she different? His fists clenched. He had never been fascinated by a human the way he was at this precise moment. She seemed to glow like the sun.

Akin to the sin, he was in awe before her. Her difference enthralled and scared him at the same time, and his stomach twisted uncomfortably. Arms dangling, he stared at her in silence as she patiently waited for him to speak. She did not seem to want to force him, or even wait for him to reply.

“Everyone is afraid”, he said dumbly.

“Not anymore”, she replied with a soft smile.

An arrow pierced his mind and he gasped in pain, a hand shooting to his skull. Miss Hinata held her hand up toward him, her face worried, but he harshly slapped her hand away. She yelped in surprise and he froze. He had hurt her. He was nothing but a monster, and she would now surely be afraid. His throat tightened, he took a step back before running away as fast as he could, ignoring the pain in his heart.

* * *

As he reached his chamber, he spotted his mother and froze. She saw him and tenderly smiled at him before walking up to him. It was then that he noticed that her smile was different from miss Hinata’s one. The Yggalën lady’s one was tender and true, he could see the cracks in his mother’s one, the slight dread hiding behind love. He had never noticed it before. His fists clenched. He could not tolerate this kind of lies tonight. He wanted to be alone.

“Gaara!” she called out. “I was looking for you –”

“I was walking miss Hinata to her chamber; apparently, no one had shown it to her”, he said, cutting her sentence.

“Oh!”, she exclaimed, surprised. “I didn’t you had been acquainted.”

“We danced together for a large part of the night”, he announced, and he saw guilt in his mother’s eyes. “Don’t feel bad for not noticing. It doesn’t matter.”

Her mother slightly gulped and forced a smile to appear on her face, but Gaara would not be fooled. This smile was not true, it was only a mask to hid fear.

“Is she of good company?”, she asked.

“She claims not being afraid of me despite the One of Wrath”, he said.

Karura’s eyes widened, pleading, and she grabbed her arms. Gaara remained still, keeping his eyes plunged into hers. He was not scared of her.

“You cannot talk about it to strangers!” she exclaimed. “If people know –”

“Then Suna would lose its secret weapon”, he said, cutting her off. He pulled away and watch fear creep in her eyes as a cruel smile appeared on his face. “Mother, I don’t doubt that you love me, and I think I love you too. But between your fear and your love, who would win?”

After these words, he walked past her and went to his chamber, leaving her with her thoughts. As soon as the door was closed, he fell on his knees, panting. The pain he had ignored and pushed at the back of his mind up until now was now reappeared harshly. He grabbed his skull, his fists grabbing his red locks as he groaned in pain. The One of Wrath had been silent the whole evening, but the god was now taking his revenge, roaring in his mind.

Heaving, he dragged himself to his bed, hoping that the softness of the sheets would help him to calm down. He undressed and fell on the mattress. His eyes stared at the roof and he groaned as the pain grew worse.

_I enjoy this girl! Her beliefs are amusing, don’t you agree? If you bath in her blood, I’ll leave you alone for six months. What do you say?_

The idea was truly desirable, and Gaara knew that the god would not offer another deal of this kind. It was the first time he seemed ready to negotiate. Yet, miss Hinata’s smile illuminating her face, the softness of her voice and her faith made him decide. The memory of the young maiden invaded his mind, and he could almost feel her warmth.

“No. I shan’t give you her blood, you can torment me as much as you desire”, he groaned. 

_Don’t tempt me, kid!_

The god laughed on last time, before calming down and falling asleep. Gaara gulped, unable to understand what had seemingly calmed down the One of Wrath, but he did not dare think about it. It might awake him, and the prince wanted to sleep. He closed his eyes, but slumber did not come to him easily. The young lady he had spent the evening with had taken residence in his mind. Her radiant smile, her melodious voice, which he would surely never hear again after hitting her hand. His jaws clenched. Why had he done that?

He was but a monster.


	7. The lonely prince

Hinata had been tempted to run after the prince, but it would have been insulting from her part. No matter how much she wished to reassure him, she was not foolish enough to believe he was ready to continue their discussion. Sitting on her bed in her night gown, she instead focused on how to be forgiven for her rudeness. If only she had remained silent and had respected his wishes, he would not have been in pain. She had to apologize and accept his decision, whatever it would be. Yet, how could she present him her truest apologies? She thought for a moment; he was unable to walk under the sun, and thus offering him a stroll in the gardens would be stupid.

Mayhap a lunch in one of the nooks of the palace would suit him better. He seemed to enjoy solitude, and she would have to dismiss Hamya and Hanika for this lunch, but her cousin would be without a doubt considerate. They would surely laugh at her, but Hinata did not mind; it was not contemptuous but affectionate. A lunch would thus be the best possible way to talk to him. She would have to talk about it with her maid in the morning and would have her carry it to the prince.

_Dear prince Gaara,_

_My attitude last night was inappropriate, and I beg you to forgive my insistence and my rudeness. If you do not loathe my company, I would like to have lunch with you tomorrow to present you this noon to present you my truest apologies._

_Best regards,_

_Lady Hinata Hyūga._

As she let ink dry, her eyes fell on the hand he had slapped away, and she could remember his eyes as he realised his movement. He had looked taken aback and horrified, mayhap believing he had hurt her. Hinata sighed sadly. This poor prince was nothing but loneliness and pain, but for her neither the monster sealed within him nor the powers resulting from the god. He was not responsible for the god’s actions. She had been bewildered by his confession; she did not think than sealing one of the Nine was achievable.

However, she had recalled the legends and songs telling the colossal battle opposing the One of Battles and the One of Wrath, which had ended by the victory of the One of Battles. Had the destructive god been continuously sealed since that time? It would explain why he never appeared, contrary to his siblings whose incarnations and voices were sometimes heard throughout the world.

Moreover, why would the prince lie? A story as unbelievable as this one could not only be a creation of his mind, and she could have seen his truthfulness in his eyes. He seemed to be perfectly honest. It was highly possible that he had never had to lie, now that she thought of it. If everyone fears you, why bother trying to please them with empty words and false promises? It would be significant waste of time.

Hinata read her letter one last time before slipping in her bed. She could share her thoughts at lunch and learn to know him if he did not curse her existence. She shuddered at the idea of having wounded him and bit her lip. She would have ruined any chance to form a positive relationship with one of the highest dignitaries in the Kingdom of Wind! What shame it would be for her clan. She curled up under her blankets and her eyes fell on the bracelets offered by Neiji. If only he was here, he could make everything right…

* * *

She was woken up around ten o’clock in the morning by a maid bringing her breakfast. Hinata sat at her table and entrusted the letter to the young woman, who gulped upon learning to whom she was meant to bring it. Hinata smiled softly to reassure her; there was nothing to fear.

“Don’t worry. Bring him the letter, please, there is no reason for the prince to be mad at you”, she said.

The maid nodded, hesitant, then bowed and left. Hinata sighed. If every soul in the castle acted this way around the prince, it was no surprise he was convinced all feared him. They seemed to believe he was the One of Wrath himself or that the god would take over his body to devour them. She understood being afraid of the One of Wrath – she herself was scared of him, after all – but if the god had not been freed until then, was it necessary or even rational to be afraid? Hinata lightly shook her head and, once her breakfast over, called for Hanika and Hamya.

“You invited the prince for lunch?”, Hamya exclaimed before mischievously smiling. “You’re braver than I thought, miss!”, she laughed.

“Don’t be silly; I was rude to him last night, and I wish to properly ask for his forgiveness. Help me pick a dress, instead of laughing at my foolishness”, she added as the sisters giggled.

They opened the wardrobe were Hinata’s clothes had been carefully hung and laid her favourite sets on her bed to pick the one which would make her look as beautiful as possible. After several attempts and debates, they picked a traditional coloured dress of the Kingdom of Fire. She had been offered some dresses of the Kingdom of Wind but Hinata could not hide her arms under her long sleeves and her hair under the headdresses going with the dresses. Once clad in silver and emerald, she put on her white gold jewels and let her cousins do her hair.

“You’re beautiful, miss. I’m sure the prince will be charmed upon seeing you”, Hamya said.

“I don’t want to charm him; I want to apologize”, Hinata replied, looking at her cousin’s reflection in the mirror.

Hamya rolled her eyes and waved her words away.

“Even your sister wouldn’t believe this lie! You were as red as the Uzumaki banners in his company.”

Hinata felt her cheeks burst into flames as she thought of the dances shared with the prince. Could her cousins not end their jesting? She put her hands on her burning cheeks and breathed deeply. Those were only jests; she could not allow herself to be affected each time.

“What beautiful red cheeks you have, miss!”, Hanika laughed.

“Stop laughing”, she falsely admonished them, although she could not repress a small smile.

In the end, they all laughed about it until there was a knock on the door. Hamya opened and the maid who had Hinata’s breakfast politely bowed before them.

“My lady, His Highness wishes to let you know he won’t be able to accept your invitations due to his health”, she said, her eyes on the ground.

Hinata’s heart sunk and she suppressed a gag. Everything seemed away and silent, as if she was not the mistress of her own body and floated above the scene. She swallowed, her hands shaking, and distantly noticed Hamya and Hanika were watching her, eyes filled with compassion. She cleared her throat and forced a dignified smile to appear on her face.

“Of course, the banquet last night must have exhausted him. Give the prince my best wishes, please.”

The maid left and Hinata let her eyes fell on her reflection. She had tried to look as beautiful as she could, had hoped so much he would allow her to apologize! She had been such a fool! If only Neiji was here, he would know how to untwist her belly and calm the frantic beatings her of heart. She swallowed a sob of despair. She missed her cousin so much! He would know how to make things better. Her heart contracted and she quickly got up. Her cousins ran to her side to embrace her but Hinata held herself as straight as she could and crossed her hands on her belly before offering them a soft smile.

“Don’t worry about me, everything is alright. I’m going to pray and hope the gods advise me on how I can earn the prince’s forgiveness.”

She was relived her voice had not faltered. She took with her some sheets, ink and a feather and left her chamber to go to the temple of the palace.

* * *

A guard showed her the way and Hinata easily found the sacred place, located deep in the outside gardens. Nine trees were growing around it; one of eight of the Nine, and one for the Mother of All. As always, the One of Wrath had no tree, no lula, no shrine. No one but fanatics wanted to hear his words, and thus he was a voiceless god, a mute god. She closed her eyes for a second before climbing the stairs. The One of Air had many offerings, but Hinata was not surprised; after all, she was in the Kingdom of Wind. Hinata kneeled before the shrine of the One of Woods, where many flowers were blooming, and joined her hands, her eyes towards the god’s statue.

“Ô, One of Woods, god protector of children and forests… Hear my prayers and look after the prince… His heart is tormented and his eyes lonely… Give him friendship and love…”, she whispered.

The seventh god was represented as a young man with short hair and his face hidden under her hood. He seemed so kind, so soft. Hinata smiled tenderly. She hoped he would listen to her prayer and offered to the prince the companionship he so desperately needed. Then, she prayed for Neiji before writing him a letter; he was surely worried about her.

_Beloved Neiji,_

_Suna is a beautiful city, and I weep every second because of your absence. I will pray for your well-being every night. I have had the occasion of meeting the prince Gaara, whose forgiveness I wish to earn; I have been very rude to him, I asked questions I should not have asked._

_How I wish you were here to hold me in your arms! We could enjoy the palace together. People here are much kinder than in Konoha. I received no remarks on my skin nor did I hear on Yggalën women! It’s so refreshing, I mourn that you cannot enjoy it._

_How do you fare? Are you safe? Father insists that Konoha is dangerous but refused to take you. I am furious he dared doing this to you! Write me as soon as this letter finds you, please, and reassure you._

_Your devoted cousin Hinata._

The three other Daimyō arrived at different hours of the day, and Hinata could not help but think of the beautiful banquet that would take place in the evening. All these noble guests would surely have marvellous and fascinating stories to tell, and their minstrels would know songs she had never heard. Nevertheless, she could not help but think of the amazing evening she had the past evening, and her heart clenched in her chest. She wanted to approach the prince at this banquet but could not; she would be far too insistent if she did so. If only she had not been this impolite… She was such a fool! It was only expected that the prince refused to see her!

Hinata kept the emerald dress she had put on in the morning for the banquet and her eyes wandered swiftly on the crowd and found the ruler of Kingdom of Water. The Water Daimyō was a splendid woman named Mei Terumi and her Mizukage a young man named Yagura Karatachi. Despite their beauty, Hinata could not help but shudder. The Kingdom of Water had punishing and terrible laws and, according to rumours, Mizukage were chosen for their thirst for blood. Once she would have doubted such words but today, she was not as naïve as she used to be, and she made sure to remain away from the Kage and the Daimyō. It was easy, for none of them were interested in her.

Despite this, the banquet was a disaster as far as Hinata was concerned. Even if the prince sometimes observed her, he would look away as soon their eyes met. She had irrevocably hurt him, that was now sure. Even the dances and music could not better her mood and Hinata ran to her chamber as soon as she could. Hamya and Hanika had offered to accompany her, but she had refused; she wanted to be alone with her thoughts and her regrets.

Once the door was closed, Hinata removed her jewels and untied her hair, allowing to gracefully fall under her backside. She looked at her reflection for a second before turning away, took her harp and sat on the balcony. Everyone was still at the banquet and she would in peace. She looked at the crescent moon above her and smiled sadly, thinking once again of the prince she had wounded. She breathed and sang, hoping to ease her soul.

_The world is young, shimmering and fair_

_When the Walker awakes, bare._

_As he travels, names he delivers_

_To hills, mountains and rivers._

_The Mother of All hears his deeds,_

_To the first man a crown she gives._

_The Walker sits on a stars-made throne_

_And leads the world with a horn._

_He names a great mountain after her,_

_Erin, Mother Of All, who makes it shimmer_

_But the Walker is just a human,_

_And his life like a silk ribbon._

_When the Walker is laid in his tomb_

_Erin takes him in her womb._

_One day, the Walker will wake again_

_And to peace and joy lead men._

* * *

The way was unbelievably hot even for the Kingdom of Wind, and Hinata chose to spend her afternoon in the indoor gardens of the palace. She had learnt of their existence by her maid and had concluded it would they would be the perfect place to spend the afternoon. Once ready, she knocked on her cousins’ door, who shared the room next to hers. Hamya opened the door and seemed surprised to find her here.

“Miss! What can I do for you?”

“I learnt there are indoor gardens and I thought I could visit them with you. Is Hanika still asleep?”, she asked.

“Oh no, she’s awake! My foolish sister drank more wine than a soldier after a battle and now she suffers the consequences”, the younger sister explained, a mischievous smile on her face.

“I see”, Hinata giggled. “Look after her. Do you want me to send something for her if I find a maid?”, she offered.

“No, don’t worry. You’ll have to tell us everything about the gardens, and we’ll go tomorrow!”

“It would be my pleasure”, Hinata replied before looking inside the chamber to see Hanika groaning in pain on the bed. “Rest well, Hanika!”, she laughed before leaving.

Hinata easily found the garden and was overjoyed to see they were filled with blooming flowers thanks to tainted windows stopping the sun from burning the plants. She sat on a bench near a rose tree and started embroidering the gardens around her. It would one of the numerous presents she would bring to Neiji when this journey would end, and she focused and worked as precisely as she could; she wanted to offer him the most beautiful embroidery she could make.

As she was finishing the details of a rose, Hinata heard footsteps. She swiftly looked up and saw the prince Gaara, firmly walking towards her. Her eyes widened. Would he allow her to apologize? Or would he tell her that her letter was an insult he had burned? She bit the inside of her cheek, anxiety twisting her stomach.

“Miss Hinata, would you have a few minutes to spare?”, he asked.

“Of course! May I help you?”, she replied, and she got up quickly to curtsy, cut out of her thoughts by his deep voice.

“I was terribly rude to you yesterday. I shouldn’t have declined your invitation the way I did, but I was furious at myself for hurting you”, he confessed.

His eyes were on the ground, and Hinata could see his hands clench around his crossed arms. She felt a soft smile appear on her face. She walked towards him and showed him her hand.

“It was nothing, it didn’t hurt”, she said. “See for yourself, I have no mark.”

He looked up and plunged his eyes into her. She remained silent and immobile, allowing him to observe her as he wished. It was obvious he was a man of few words and thought of every of his sentences. He was so alone; he had surely never met someone acting spontaneously in his presence the way she had.

“You are the strangest person I’ve ever met. Are your people all like you?”

“No, only me. My cousin Neiji and I are similar on several aspects but he’s more serious than me. Being a squire forced him to discipline himself”, she replied.

“I see. I don’t understand why you’re not afraid; it is troubling to think someone might fearlessly approach me”, he said.

“I would lie if I told you the One of Wrath doesn’t frighten me, but you’re not him, no matter what he’s done to you or what people may think.”

“Are you not afraid that he might control me and forced me to hurt you?”

“No. I have faith in you, and I doubt a god may be interested in a mere human like me”, she replied with a smile.

He solemnly nodded and seemed to be thinking of what he would say when a loud explosion shrilled, deafening Hinata. She put her hands on her ears as rubbles were hurled in the garden, tearing trees down and crushing plants. At the same time, the prince’s shadow shot up and formed a shield around them. Hinata yelled in fear as a rubble hit the shadow wall, but the stone did not go through their protection. Hinata’s eyes widened. She wished she could observe the shadows moved by magic, but now was not the time. They were under attack.

“Get down!” the prince ordered.

Hinata instinctively obeyed his authoritarian voice. She kneeled on the ground, her hands on her ears and her eyes shut tight as she heard the chaotic symphony of destruction. What was happening? Who attacked them? The five Kage were reunited, they would crush the assailants!

As soon as they had begun, the explosion stopped, and Hinata looked at the prince Gaara while slowly removing her hands from her hears. He was standing next to her, arms crossed, as shadows were licking his skin, sometimes fog-like, akin to mist submitted to his will. His silhouette was almost ethereal, similar to one of the Nine walking the land of men.

Hinata was brought back to reality by the arrival of five masked individuals, and her eyes widened upon seeing them as her body shuddered. What did they want? Who had sent them? An enemy of the Kingdom of Wind? Or an enemy of the five Daimyō? She got up, looking around her for a way out to run away with the prince. She was not sure she could get him out at her best speed, but she could surely find a way. The prince’s shadows could surely be useful to achieve this fit. However, the men were blocking all the exits and she was not confident she could avoid them all while helping someone to get away. If she was alone, she could flee, but she would not let the prince behind. She was a proud Hyūga, future Great Lady of Yggalë, and she would not abandon anyone.

“Your Highness, we’re not here for you. We only want the girl”, one of their enemies purred.

Hinata gasped and staggered back, her stomach twisted, a feeling of cold invading her entire body, freezing her blood in her veins and petrifying her where she stood. They were for her. They wanted to kill her. Her hands shook as she frantically looked around her, looking for a solution. Her legs were weak, she could never run away from these criminals. The prince stood before her and Hinata saw his body tense like a bow.

“I have no intention of letting you hurt her. Who hired you?”

“Come on, we can’t tell you, Your Highness. We’d be terrible at our job if we did.”

“Questioning you would be a waste of time, and I won’t take the risk of letting you live”, the prince declared.

Hinata’s eyes widened and, before she could say a word, shadows shot out in every direction and wrapped themselves around their preys, akin to snakes. The one she had identified like the leader of the group escaped the first few assaults but was finally captured like his companion. None of them could have resisted. None of them was ready for the prince’s powers. Hinata felt his stomach twist and her energy leaving her body. They had truly come for her, she was their only target, and whoever had engaged this assassins had not planed for her to be protected by someone as powerful as the prince.

A cackling brought her back to reality and she looked at the prince before gasping. One of his aquamarine eyes had turned. The white had become black, the iris golden and the pupil had taken the shape of a black four-branches star. His canines, already longer than usual, were now fangs, and he was laughing at the sight of the men imprisoned in his shadows. Hinata distantly thought it had to be caused by the One of Wrath and his corruption. Before she could attempt anything to calm the prince, he opened his arms, a smile twisting his face.

Captive in the shadow binds, the assassins yelled something, but the sound was suffocated by their gags, and Hinata shuddered as she noticed tears running down their cheeks. They were terrified, they were surely feeling the same horror that had filled her when she had seen them, when she had understood they wanted to kill her. Their stomachs must be twisted and the abject impression of cold she had felt earlier must be invading at the frantic rhythm of their hearts.

“Goodbye”, the prince chuckled.

He clapped his hands and Hinata witnessed, horrified, the shadows brutally contract themselves and crush the assassins’ bodies. Blood and mangled flesh were projected, and she felt her legs giving up. She fell on her knees and had to use her hands for support, panting, eyes wide and locked on the carnage before her. None of them had survived. They were all dead, their souls going to the Gold Fields. Tears started to run down her cheeks. This is what the prince had been talking about. The reason why he was so dangerous. He killed. He killed people and found it enjoyable. Her stomach painfully clenched, and for a second, she thought she was going to throw up.

Hinata then heard a cry of pain. She swiftly looked up and saw the prince holding his head, his hands clawing at his skull. All of his muscles were tensed, and Hinata remained frozen. Suddenly, she saw tears running down his cheeks and jumped on her feet. The prince would never hurt her, she was horrible for doubting him! He had protected, opened the door to the One of Wrath’s torment for her! She ought to help him, she ought to do something.

Hinata embraced the prince and kept her against her, hoping her presence would help him ground himself. The shadows furiously whirled around them, painfully slicing her skin in different places, but Hinata did not care and hugged him tighter. What could she do, what could she do, what could she do? How could she calm the One of Wrath?


	8. Failure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY !!! I've finally finished the translation QwQ I thought I'd never see the end of it T_T

If someone asked Yagura’s opinion – which did not happen much – he would say that Hiashi Hyūga was the perfect candidate for a throne, after Mei Terumi. He was calm, thoughtful and spoke in a powerful and deep voice without feeling threatening. He appeared as the voice of reason in this chaos called the Daimyō’s reunion. Every small detail in a contract led to everlasting debates which bored the Mizukage to no end. Sometimes, he exchanged bored looks with the other Kages, especially Jiraiya of the Kingdom of Fire whom Yagura respected.

As Hiashi Hyūga grabbed the cup of wine before him, Yagura felt his instinct telling him that something was wrong. However, before he could act, Jiraiya grabbed the wrist of his future Daimyō and Yagura grabbed his staff. A fool with a death wish was approaching to attack the five Daimyō. Yagura glanced at Mei Terumi to evaluate her state; she did not seem panicked in the slightest, calmly looking at the windows. The Mizukage smiled; she had not become Daimyō for nothing. He then focused on his environment, waiting for the assailants to arrive.

Three… Two… One… The windows and doors of the room brutally shattered but Yagura simply erected a wall of water around them to ensure that neither his Daimyō nor him were hurt. Next to him, a gigantic two-handed sword appeared in Jiraiya’s hand, for he could wield with only one hand. The Hokage, the oldest of them, was still impressive to see in action. Blessed by the One of Battles, he had received the gift of making weapons and armours appear as he wished. Reinforced by the Black Potion reserved to the Kage, his power and physical prowess had swiftly become a source of fear, even amongst the other Kage. No one was stupid enough to attack him head-on.

Finally, their opponents appeared, masked as to hide their identities. They were all mages or enchanted humans, but Yagura knew that their leader was not amongst them. Orochimaru, an international criminal, was surely behind this attack, but he was not the kind to show up this early. The man had always had a love for theatrics and was without a doubt planning a sensational debut. Yagura had never liked him, even before his betrayal.

“Mizukage, escort the Daimyōs out of here”, Roshi of the Kingdom of Earth thundered. “You can easily protect them. Kazekage, go with them, you know this palace better than any of us.”

It was the most logical plan. His blessing allowed him to easily create big shields that would protect the five Daimyōs. He would have preferred to participate in the fight, but the safety of his Daimyō was more important. He would also protect their allies to ensure future economic cooperation between the kingdoms, and Mei would surely expect of him to protect the Wind Daimyō’s heirs, the princess Temari and the prince Kankurō, whose only talent was levitation.

“Understood. Kazekage, open us a way.”

Baki gestured in the direction of the wall and a powerful wind gush and Yagura closed the way, ensuring that none of their adversaries – who were numerous, he had to admit it – were following them. They went through some rooms before stopping in a smaller and darker room than the previous ones. Yagura frowned and got closer to Mei. Something was wrong, he could feel it. If the room itself was a good hiding place, he did not like its aura. He exchanged a look with his Daimyō, and she slightly stepped back, placing herself behind him. He could not risk her safety.

Yagura quietly observed Baki and his apprentice, Pakura, refusing to let them leave his sight. His kingdom and the Kingdom of Wind were not in good terms, the Wind Daimyō could use his current upper hand to try to plunge the Kingdom of Water in chaos. However, the Kazekage was guarding the corridor they had created and Pakura was ensuring that neither of the heirs was hurt. They seemed under shock but unwounded.

The everlasting wait and the deafening silence were finally broken by a coughing spit. Hiashi Hyūga had to use the wall as support as to not fall. His entire body was brutally shaken by a rough cough. Yagura frowned and motion to his monarch to step back; it was impossible for the attack and the sudden degradation of the lord’s health to be a coincidence. Someone had poisoned that man. He sheathed his staff and went to grab his numerous antidotes; he could share some with Hiashi Hyūga. He had no doubt that Jiraiya would reimburse him any used antidote.

Suddenly, the patient fell to the ground and hunched over before throwing up an important amount of dark blood as his facial veins rapidly blackened. The Mizukage’s eyes widened and he immediately protected his face with his scarf. This poison could not be mistaken for another, and he could not allow himself to be infected.

“Everyone, stay back!”, he ordered before facing Mei. “He’s been infected by the corrupted blood poison.”

“Can you help him?”, she asked.

“I can ease the pain or end his sufferings, but this poison can only be cured if treated in time. When the subject vomits blood, it’s already too late”, he replied.

“Then, I am doomed”, Hiashi Hyūga said behind him.

Yagura turned around and instead of seeing the usual fear one would see on the face of those doomed to die, he saw a peaceful acceptance on his face. The man had succeeded in sitting against a wall and was looking at him directly in the eyes, dignified and calm, waiting for his sentence. The Mizukage exhaled deeply. Hiashi Hyūga would have made a formidable Daimyō. Even on his death bed, he was composed, where many would be sobbing and begging for their lives to be saved.

“Yes”, he replied; he would not lie to him. “You’re too infected, and neither Baki nor me can help you.”

“I understand”, Hiashi said after a coughing fit. “Whoever poisoned me is at odds with my kingdom, or at least my family. Your Highness, lord Mizukage, I beg you, protect my daughter Hinata. She’s only thirteen, and somewhere in this palace…”

Mei then kneeled by the dying man’s side. Yagura wanted to tell to step back, but it would be useless. His Daimyō was far too stubborn for her own good; he only had to make sure she was not infected by accident. The Mizukage knelt to watch her movements and saw a tender but sad smile appear on her face. Mei was very talented at lying, but Yagura had always easily read her face. Here, for once, her sadness was honest. The Mizukage understood. Hiashi Hyūga could have been a formidable ally – especially compared to old Hiruzen Sarutobi – but also a friend. In the Kingdom of Water, the Yggalën were known for being true and pious, and the Nine knew that lies were gangrening the court of Kiri.

“I promise you”, she said. “Yagura and I will find your daughter and ensure her safety. The Kingdom of Fire is on the road for Kiri, and I’ll journey with her to ensure she’s safe and sound.”

A smile appeared on the face of the one who should have become Daimyō. A sad and resigned smile, but also filled with love at the thought of his daughter. Yagura could vaguely remember the child of the Yggalën. A small lady, beautiful for her age, who had seemed afraid of the Kages. From what he had seen, she seemed the dream daughter or any lord, and he had no doubt that she was her father’s most precious treasure.

“Thank you, Your Highness… Tell her… Tell her I love her, please.”

Hiashi closed his eyes, and it was over. Yagura closed his eyes an instant, murmuring a prayer for the Mother of All so she would welcome him like every Daimyō who ever walked this earth. Yet, he could not focus on this kind of events. He had to focus on his monarch, she was much more important than the lifeless body before them. He offered his hand to Mei and she took it, her eyes never leaving the dead man.

“As a precaution, I’ll give you the antidote for this poison, Your Majesty”, he said. “We don’t know if you’ve been all infected.”

“Shouldn’t we be feeling the effect if it was the case?” she asked. “Hiashi Hyūga was a strong man, I doubt he would be affected faster than the rest of us.”

“You’re probably not, but I don’t want to take the risk. Then, if you wish, we can look for lord Hiashi’s daughter”, he replied, handing her a small flask.

“Let’s go”, she said once she had drunk it. “Will you join us?”, she asked the other Daimyō, who had watched the scene in silence.

“Your Highness, with your permission, I could accompany them”, Pakura intervened. “I know the palace better than Her Highness and the Mizukage, and we could look for miss Hyūga more efficiently. If assassins are after her, every second matter.”

“No, you’re sworn to protect the Hisunas, no one else”, the Wind Daimyō coldly replied.

“Father!”, the princess cried out, outraged, but a look from his father reduced her to silence, her fists clenched.

The other Daimyō declined their offers, opting to wait for their Kages, but the Earth Daimyō assured them he would tell Jiraiya what had happened. Yagura nodded and was about to leave when princess Temari called out, her eyes resolved.

“I heard that miss Hyūga was visiting the indoor gardens”, she said, ignoring her father’s furious look. “She must be there with her cousins.”

“Thank you, princess”, Mei replied.

Yagura’s senses were in alert, and his muscles tensed. He was ready to eliminate every threat. The entire palace was in ebullition, and guards were running everywhere while men were yelling orders at each other. Some soldiers offered their help to the Mizukage, but Yagura refused; he had no intention to carry around dead weights like soldiers. Moreover, he had no trust for the Kingdom of Wind. The Daimyō’s refusal to help them worried him. The kingdoms of Fire and Wind were not allied because of a mutual appreciation, but because both of them needed resources the other had. Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi had worked to better the relations, they were far from ideal.

Therefore, this refusal made no sense for a monarch who would want better relations with the neighbouring nation. He could see only one reason behind this refusal: the Daimyō had played a role in Hiashi Hyūga’s death. He hated this idea, but it mostly made him wonder if the Wind Daimyō had lost his mind. If Jiraiya was not mad enough to stand up to the Wind Daimyō without Hiruzen Sarutobi’s support – especially with the Hyūga girl to protect –, the Kingdom of Wind exchanged a lot with Yggalë. Hinata Hyūga could easily increase the prices and prefer another economic partner for a region.

Moreover, by the Kingdom of Fire’s law, this kid was now the new heiress of the fire throne. This subtility had not come into play for at least a century, but it existed. The Daimyō did not choose a person to succeed him but a clan, whose head became Daimyō after him. If said chief died before being crowned, their heir would take their place. Therefore, Hinata Hyūga, thirteen, was the new heiress of the Kingdom of Fire and refusing to come to her aid when she needed it was a stupid mistake. This was surely why Mei insisted on helping her. The little girl would without a doubt be eternally grateful and would remember that, in her greatest time of need, the Kingdom of Water had rescued her.

“Miss Hyūga will surely be very thankful for our help”, he said as they approached the indoor gardens.”

“Of course”, Mei mused. “Yet, I wish I didn’t have to tell her about her father’s death. This poor child will soon be in a complicated position”, she added.

“Do you feel sympathy for her?”

“As much as I can. I cannot allow myself to care too much, but the situation in which she is isn’t desirable. Especially with old Sarutobi’s on Yggalë”, she added.

Yagura nodded. He was unable to understand why the Yggalën had such a bad reputation in their kingdom. Was it because of the year of their annexation? If he remembered correctly, the Hyūga and their vassals had been conquered two centuries ago, long after the other clans forming the Kingdom of Fire. It was one of the stupidest reasons he had ever heard to despise an entire region. Oh well. It did not concern him.

* * *

As they entered the indoor gardens, Yagura felt a wave of energy savagely whirling. He stood before his monarch and readied himself for a fight. However, as his senses looked for the threat, he saw he would not be fighting anyone as the most incredible scene he had ever witnessed was playing before his eyes.

Kneeling on the floor, the young Hyūga was holding against her the youngest prince, the mage who could not go under the sun. Around them, shadows flowing out of the prince were wildly dancing, threatening to cut in half whoever would be foolish enough to approach. The prince was clinging to the Yggalën, sobbing in pain. Yagura clenched his teeth. So, this was the Kingdom of Wind’s secret which had given to the Daimyō the courage to move against the Kingdom of Fire. This child was a living prison and not a simple mage, despite this practice being forbidden in the five kingdoms because of the danger for the host. And, judging by the shadows, Yagura had no doubt regarding the sealed god’s identity. The One of Wrath.

He internally cursed and gathered his energy, preparing a spell to kill the boy. It was a shame, he was nothing but an innocent sacrificed on the shrine of the thirst for power, but he could not allow an uncontrollable beast to freely roam this earth. He would without a doubt become a major threat to the other kingdom in the future. He could not take the risk of allowing him to live.

However, as he focused, he felt something else appear. A sort of pure and loving energy springing from young Yggalën, different and yet similar to a blessing. As if a god was temporarily lending her their powers. She hugged the prince tighter and looked up, breathing in deeply before chanting a hymn, her voice resonating in Yagura’s ear as if the singer was by his side and not a dozen meters away.

_ Ô, One of Peace, _

_ Mother of mercy _

_ Sooth the wrath and the anger _

_ Watch over my son and father. _

_ Ô, One of Peace, _

_ Mother of mercy, _

_ Guide us, mothers and daughters, _

_ Whose faith never falters. _

Yagura watched in awe as the shadow calm down as the girl sang before finally disappearing in the ground as if they were not filled with the prince’s magic anymore. The young man slowly strengthened his back, panting. The One of Wrath had fallen back to sleep. Most people would think that such a scene was a miracle, but Yagura was not stupid enough to believe that. Hinata Hyūga may not be blessed the way he was, but she was still loved by the gods, and particularly the One of Peace, who had helped calm the One of Wrath.

“Stay back”, he said to his Daimyō. “I’ll make sure this is over.”

“Yagura… the prince… He isn’t a regular mage, is he?”

“No, he’s a living prison, and he contains the One of Wrath. Only a Kage stands a chance against him”, he replied. “Do you want me to kill him? He may become an unprecedented threat.”

“No!”, his monarch vividly exclaimed. “He’s a child. For now, he’s no threat. The bloody era of Kiri is over, I will not allow us to fall so low again.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll see to them, in that case.”

He approached them, noting from the corning of the eye the mangled body of some assailants slaughtered by the prince. The young Hyūga had not an ounce of aggressivity in her, she would have never killed those men. With her speed, she would have obviously chosen to run away. Nevertheless, judging from the traps he easily avoided – and defused – hidden in the gardens, the would-be assassins have planned her reaction. From a certain speed onward, the Hyūgas’ field of vision considerably diminished. Reacting in time to a trap placed in your periphery became almost impossible, even with reflexes as impressive as those from this clan.

Those men were not stupid, merely unlucky. They would have most likely succeeded in their mission if it was not for the prince. Nevertheless, their presence confirmed Yagura’s suspicion: someone – most likely the Wind Daimyō – was after the Hyūgas. He simply had not counted on his youngest son’s intervention. Judging from the sincere reaction of princess Temari and prince Kankurō, Rasa Hisuna had not warned anyone. His arrogance had caused his plan to fail, for the young Hyūga was still alive and would probably not open to negotiations. He would be lucky if the Kingdom of Fire did not declare war.

Of course, it was just a theory, but Yagura did not doubt that Jiraiya would agree with him. However, he would take any decisions without Hiruzen’s approval and, due to his age, the Fire Daimyō would maybe prefer to avoid war during the last years of his reign. No matter what would happen, it would surely be very interesting to observe. His spies in Konoha would have a lot of work.

As he approached the two children, the young lady swiftly looked and slightly widened her eyes, surprised by his presence. Swiftly, the surprise was replaced by wariness. She stared at him in silence, waiting for him to speak first. Yagura almost rolled his eyes; if he wanted to kill her, she would already be dead. She had nothing to fear from him. Nevertheless, he understood. She had just survived to a murder attempt. Trusting whoever came to her would be stupid.

“Miss Hinata, your father asked Her Majesty Mei and me to help you. I’ll escort you to safety”, he said.

“How can we know that you’re telling the truth?”, the prince panted as he stood up.

His legs were shaking, and he was visibly suffering from a terrible headache, but his eyes were as purposeful as his sister’s, if not more. He seemed ready to fight again if he deemed it necessary despite his state. It was admirable, albeit a bit stupid. The young lady quickly got up and delicately took his arms, eyes tender and worried. Well, this was interesting.

“Prince, you mustn’t stand up this quick, you’ll exhaust yourself!”, she begged.

“I have no intention to lie”, Yagura intervened; as amusing as it was to observe, they did not have the time. “If I wanted to dispatch you, it would be done. As powerful as the prince is with his prisoner, I’m a Kage. I could kill you both without breaking a sweat.”

“I beg your forgiveness, lord Mizukage”, the Yggalën said; she would have surely bowed if she was not supporting the prince. “We’ve just been attacked, and we prefer to be careful.”

“And you’re perfectly right”, Yagura replied. “Let’s go, we must find the Hokage.”

“My lord, if I may ask… Why did my father send you? Why not the Hokage?”, she asked.

“The Hokage was busy fighting our assailants. With the Kazekage, I escorted the Daimyōs to safety”, he replied, doing his utter best to avoid telling her the fate that had befallen the lord Hiashi; that was a situation he preferred letting his Daimyō handle.

“Why did my father not accompany you?”

Yagura felt a grimace on his face; he did not how to tell the terrible news to the young girl. Nevertheless, his facial expression was apparently enough for her to understand since her eyes widened as she rose her hands to her face, shaking. Tears started to run down her cheeks and the Yggalën hid her face in her hands. She let out a long cry of despair and the prince immediately put his arms around her, even though he was clumsy whilst doing so.

“How… How could this happen? The Hokage was here to protect him!”, she whinged, her shoulders shook by sobs, coiled in the prince’s arms.

Yagura wanted to reply and tell her the events which had led to Hiashi Hyūga’s death, but Mei suddenly appeared to his side and walked to the crying young lady, shooting a glare at Yagura. The prince hugged the Yggalën tighter but said nothing as the monarch leaned forward and delicately spread Hinata Hyūga’s hands.

“Miss, we were attacked like you, but our assailants tricked the Kage and had previously your lord father. His last words were meant for you, he wished for us to remind you of his love for you”, she said in a warm maternal voice.

The girl’s sobs intensified, and she clung to the prince who was hugging her like a castaway to a floating wood plank. Her frail body was violently shaking, akin to a leaf tormented by the wind and her lament to the nocturnal plaint of the waves crashing against the rocks. Yagura looked away; he hated the sound of cries and the sight of tears. He did not know how to react before such grief.

Nevertheless, the girl’s pain would ease with time. Time healed all wounds, and Yagura had no doubt that the girl’s faith would allow her to find some comfort. After all, her father would be welcomed in the One of Power’s domain in the Gold Field, like every monarch and lord before him. She would be able to mourn properly. However, Jiraiya had failed to protect his future Daimyō. Hiruzen Sarutobi’s sentence would surely be brutal, and Yagura knew that the old Hokage would probably not live much older.


	9. The Great Lady of Yggalë

Chapter IX: The Great Lady of Yggalë.

It was mayhap noon, it was mayhap midnight, Hinata could not tell. Everything was faraway, distant. She had been sitting at her table for what seemed a short eternity, eyes lost, piercing the dull wall to gaze upon the splendour of Pearlforest and the happy days spent under the sun. She could almost hear Neiji’s laugh. Yet, even the memory of her beloved cousin could not cure her from her lethargy and Hinata watched herself fix with eyes so empty they had become terrifying whoever walked through her doors.

The first had been Hamya and Hanika, eyes redden by tears and voices broken by sorrow. They had attempted to console her, to have her talk or take a bath, but Hinata saw herself watch them without saying a word nor moving. Her cousins had walked her to the bathroom and delicately washed her, drying her body and dressing her without a word, respecting her silence. Since that moment, they took personal care of her, replacing her maids and making sure she ate.

How much time had passed? Hinata did not know; she did not feel anything. Her heart was akin to a blown candle, and she felt as empty as a porcelain doll any gush of wind would break in a thousand pieces. She tried to recall the number of baths she had taken, of meals that had been brought to her, but it was pointless. Her mind had not cared at the time, and she did not feel any more alive than the automats a merchant had once shown her.

The Hokage visited her too, kneeling before her and apologizing, vowing he would not fail again. She did not say a word, instead observing the man before her. It was strange. All of sudden, he did not seem this dangerous, as if his strength had evaporated. Had pain stolen her wits? She realized she did not care. Everything was so foreign and blurry that she had lost her voice and her fire. She felt alien to this world, a simple witness of what befell the land of men who did not find it more interesting than knights found embroidery.

When the Hokage left, she did not move and simply stared at where he knelt. She remained immobile, akin to a doll, during a period she could not describe. She felt like something could occur at any instant whilst time itself seemed both elongated and crushed. What a queer feeling. She rose a hand and moved her fingers, observing the movement of her members. Her body relied on her mind, but her mind was broken; did it mean that her body was nothing but sword without owned, doomed to be used by anyone who stumbled upon it? It would be tragic. Mayhap they would write a song about her, the Yggalën who had lost her wit.

The door opened again, and Hamya announced someone, but Hinata did not listen. Someone entered her field of vision and she instinctively glanced at the newcomer. It was the prince Gaara. An eternity ago, his sight would have enthralled her and his voice bewitched her. Today, although her stomach made a queer movement in her belly, she did not bow, she did not hide behind her curtsies. He could be furious or offended if he wished so; she did not care at all.

“Miss Hinata, you hear me, do you not?”, he said; his voice was worried.

She turned her gaze towards him and lowered her hand. From the corner of the eye, she saw her cousins exchange a look and leave the room, leaving her alone with the prince. His arms were crossed on his torso, and his hands were clenching his biceps. She watched him wait for a reply and realizing she had no intention to say anything. His eyes saddened, and he slowly approached a hand to hers, hesitating. Finally, he took her hand in his and softly squeezed it. She felt her eyes widened at the sudden gesture and he gazed into her eyes.

“I am not used to become fond of people… Yet, my heart bleeds when I see you in such pain and keeps me awake all night; your sorrow haunts me, and I wish to see you smiling and well. How may I relieve you?”

Hinata blinked a few times then bit her lip. She felt like she was returning to her body at the rhythm of his words. As if his voice had some mysterious effect on her. She distantly wondered if he was stealing Neiji’s place in her heart but realized it was not true; he was settling near her cousin in a different albeit of equal importance place. Her mind wandered to the evening of their encounter and the words they had exchanged; she had grown fond of him so fast. Was her heart so big that the young mage had easily settled in it?

A mage… Her father would have never approved of this fondness. She had never talked of this subject again with him, and she had always loathed this part of him. She had imagined a thousand speech she could make to convince of the goodness of her beliefs, of the truth of her opinion. Yet, she had never done it. She had never been able to forgive the slaughters he had committed that had made him a monster deserving to be tormented by the One of Wrath in person. She should be saddened by the loss of a man such had him; she should be celebrating the death of a murderer. Yet, her heart proved itself incapable of such thing, and she could not understand why.

“I cannot remember the last words he said to me.”

Her voice was hoarse and her tone monotonous, so different from her usual singing tone. For how long had she remained silent? Her belly violently twisted, and she instinctively put a hand on it as her throat tightened. Everything seemed to return at once. Emotions, feelings, senses. They were twirling in her mind like the howling winds of the One of Air. The words began escaping her, and she confessed her tormented feelings as tears furrowed her cheeks.

“I did not truly speak to him since Hanabi’s birth. On this day, I learnt he loathed mages and that they are hunted like animals in my kingdom. I was furious, I swore myself I would never forgive the innocent blood on his hands. I remember wishing the One of Wrath would take him. I never told him, I carried this scorn all these years. Yet, despite everything he did, pain will not leave my heart. I should not be grieving for a murderer like him and yet…

“He was your father and loved you more than anything”, the prince intervened in a queer voice. “I understand your confusion. If you wish for an ear to talk to, I’m at your service.”

“How can you understand it? Have you ever felt such thing?”, she replied, holding his gaze.

“Every day. My relationship with the One of Wrath is not as simple as some may think. But it doesn’t matter; my feelings are of no importance today. Only yours are.”

If it had been any other day, Hinata would have insisted on sharing his burden. Today, however, she was uncapable of it. Her heart was beating wildly, threatening to break her ribs and escape from her chest, and she let her sorrow run free. The strength to resist had exhausted her, and she was empty, as if all the energy of her body had been carried away by the wind. Falling in the arms of the prince, she broke down in tears, her entire body shaken by sobs.

Hinata could her heartbeats in her head, hitting on her temples like a hammer slammed on an anvil. Her body hurt because of the endless sobs, but she felt her spirit lighten and recuperate, every tear shed being one less weight on her soul. The prince was holding her against him, supporting her exhausted body with his warm arms, and she remained nestled there long after her tears had dried. She felt as well as when she was in Neiji’s arms. The feeling was different but equally enjoyable.

When she parted from him, she noticed that his cheeks were as red as the sunset and she put her hands on her face, also feeling a pleasing burn. He grabbed something in his coat before delicately taking one of her hands and putting the object here. Hinata looked down and saw chain to which was suspended a queer translucid medallion shaped like a thin and pointy flask in which she distinguished a black fog.

“I had this made for you. The flask is filled with a part of my shadow. Should you ever be in danger, break it. I will do everything in my power to come to your aid”, he said.

She immediately looked at him, bewildered his gesture.

“M-My prince… You shouldn’t have, I don’t deserve such a present…”, she stammered, taken aback.

“You saved me when no one else would have dared approach me. You offered me your friendship, you smile, you stayed despite the monster sleeping within me. This is a small present in exchange…”

Hinata felt her heart go wild again, but grief was not the cause. Cheeks as hot as the One of Embers’ infernos, she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed the prince’s cheeks. As she put her heels back on the ground, she saw his widened eyes and could not help but giggle. He smiled lightly when he heard it, and she decided she ought to gift too. She simply had to find a suitable present.

“You’re too good… You dried my tears; you offer me a medallion you enchanted yourself… I will never be able to repay you, my prince.”

“Gaara, miss. My name is Gaara. Please, use it instead of my title, for no one calls me like this without disdain or fear. I would like to hear it with your voice.”

“In this case, you must call me Hinata, Gaara”, she replied, taking his hands in her.

“You honour me, Hinata”, he said, looking at their joined hands.

“Then, we honour each other”, she softly said.

Their eyes met, and Hinata felt like she was drowning in his splendid aquamarine orbs. Her skin agreeably burnt were their hands were joined, a sweet warmth akin to the one heating her cheeks. She bit her lip and, moved by emotions and feelings she had never experienced before, moved closer to Gaara. He lowered his head towards her, and they remained in this position full of hesitation for what seemed to be an eternity to Hinata. Finally, tired of waiting and guided by her instinct, she rose on her tiptoes and clumsily put her lips against the ones of the prince with aflame hair.

He stayed still for a short second before pressing his lips back. They were clumsy, and the sensation was queer and objectively quite unpleasant, but Hinata felt like flying. The wind seemed to be running on her skin and dancing in her hair. The sun was shining in her heart, lightening her entire body. Moving away from him was like stopping running as fast she could, and euphoria left her almost as swiftly as it had invaded her. She quickly let go of his hands and looked down, cheeks afire.

But Gaara took back one of her hands and she looked at him again. He was blushing as much if not more than her. He gulped and looked at the hand he had taken, as if he had moved solely by instinct. After a short instant, he hand-kissed her longer than tradition asked and strengthened up.

“Hinata, I should let you rest, don’t hesitate to come and find me if you are in need of anything.”

And then, he was gone.

* * *

Hinata fell on the sofa of her bedroom and touched her lips, barely acknowledging Hamya and Hanika when they walked back in her room. Her cousins approached her with light feet, seemingly afraid to disrupt her. Hinata felt her heart tightened. Had she been so awful to her cousins? She ought to properly apologize. They had fed her and washed all this time, and she had remained insensitive to their pain. She had been so self-centred!

“Hamya, Hanika, I am sorry”, she said, bowing to them. “I was unworthy of your care and your love; I hope you will one day forgive my attitude.”

“Miss, don’t apologize!” Hanika vividly replied, running to her side. “We love you, and we will never blame you for grieving! If only you what happiness hearing your voice brings us.”

Hinata took her elder cousin’s hands and tenderly squeezed them.

“In that case, I shall never go silent like this again”, she vowed.

She could not allow herself to be consumed by grief and confusion again. Her father was in the Gold Fields next to the One of Power, with the Daimyōs and lords who had walked this earth before him, and she would one day join him. This was not farewell, but goodbye. She was now the Great Lady of Yggalë, the head of her clan. She ought to be as strong as her lady mother, who had not once cried the absence of her father.

“I ignore what the prince said to give you back your smile, but I shall always be thankful”, Hamya declared whilst sitting by her side.

“At the thought of Gaara, Hinata felt her cheeks burn as she thought of the short kiss they had exchanged, which she had initiated herself! It was so embarrassing once the euphoria gone. She put her hands on her cheeks, trying to stop the flames heating them up. Nevertheless, it was doomed to fail and Hamya’s eyes lit up.

“Oh, I think I know exactly what happened”, she mused.

“Hamya, don’t embarrass miss Hinata like this! What befell between her and the prince is private, and we should be grateful she’s feeling better”, Hanika scolded. “Don’t listen to her miss.”

“Does this make me a horrible person? To have felt such euphoria after… after what happened”, she asked.

“No”, Hamya firmly replied. “No one can blame if you find love or smile. If the Mother of All called lord Hiashi to her side, she had a reason, and we cannot blame ourselves for accepting his departure.”

Hanika sighed, took Hinata’s hands in hers and plunged her eyes in Hinata’s ones.

“It was terribly said, but Hamya is right, miss. You’re perfectly within your right to find happiness and enjoy it; your father would not want to suffer or cry. He’s without a doubt watching you, and I’m sure he’s more than happy to see you have a suitor as noble as the prince, who already proved his valour by saving you! You are the Snowborn, who came in this world on an exceptional day; you’re bound to make exceptional deeds.”

Hinata bit her lip. Her father would surely be furious of knowing she had grown fond a mage – especially the One of Wrath – but Hanika was right. She was allowed to be happy. After all, her grandparents had passed away a long time ago, and her parents had been happy. Why should she stop herself from being happy? Should she doom herself to a life of misery and grief? She got up, determined. She would not cry for death but would celebrate life; such was the Yggalën way.

“You are right; I cannot punish myself for enjoying life. I will always carry the loss of my father, but I shan’t let it control my mind again. We must organize our return to Konoha and the funerals. Would you call for lord Jiraiya, please? I’d like to speak with him of what we should do.”

Hinata internally congratulated herself for her firm and proud. She had spoken with dignity, the way a Great Lady was expected to. She could no longer allow herself to be a child. She was a soon-to-be fourteen years old lady; it was time she grew wiser.

“Yes, my lady”, Hanika replied with a proud smile.

* * *

The Hokage joined her a few seconds later, clad in mourning clothes; according to Hanika, the old man kept her door day and night since the attack, and, if he had to leave his post for some reason, did not went away for more than ten minutes. Hinata invited Jiraiya to sit with her on the balcony as her cousins stood behind her to bring her their support.

“Miss Hinata, allow me to tell you how relieved I am. You seem much healthier than when I visited you yesterday”, he said.

“I am grateful for your care, my lord. My mind was plagued by pain, but hours of prayers allowed me to regain my strength.”

The lie had come so easily that Hinata herself was surprised. She usually loathed false words, but she could not tell the truth. Her father had once told her Konoha was a city of vultures, and she had witnessed it herself. If she lied solely to protect her own and ensure her survival, the gods might forgive her. If it was not the case, she would accept the sentence they would see fit.

“I’m glad to hear this. How may I help you?”

“I would like to know when we’ll leave the Kingdom of Wind. My father must receive funerals worthy of his title, and his bones must be returned to Pearlforest so he may rest with his ancestors.”

“His Highness will surely insist on burying your lord father with the other Daimyōs, miss”, the Hokage replied.

Hinata gulped and folded her hands on her laps. The Yggalëns got their strength from the forest and at their deaths, they returned to the forest. If she did not to celebrate her father’s actions and claim him as a hero, she could publicly do so before asserting her authority. She only hoped the gods would forgive her.

“I understand; my father would have been the greatest Daimyō the Kingdom of Fire would have known and it’s only natural he should rest with the other monarchs of our land. Yet, my clan gives to the sepulchres of their people paramount importance, and I fear I must insist. Of course, His Majesty will have the final word but I have no doubt he will listen to the Hyūgas traditions,” she replied in a tone as soft as a breeze.

“Of course, miss, I have no doubt that the Hyūgas are less attached to their lost ones than the other clans. I’m sure His Majesty will be touched by your sincere words”, the man said and Hinata felt herself furiously flush; he was laughing at her. “Maybe will I be of more help regarding our return to Konoha? I cannot decide for His Majesty, after all.”

“Of course, my lord. It would presumptuous from us to speak in the name of His Majesty”, she said, and he nodded.

“I thought we could leave once you’d feel better and, if you wish, I may arrange our departure for tomorrow”, he offered. “The Water Daimyō offered to leave Suna with us so we may enjoy her support until Konoha. She seemed ready to accommodate us regarding the date of our departure.”

“That would perfect, my lord. Have Her Highness Mei know I will forever be grateful for her help and that I would be honoured to travel in her company, please”, Hinata replied.

“Of course, miss. I’ll let you rest now, I don’t doubt that you’re exhausted, despite your recovery.”

“Thank you, my lord. My body is horribly tired, and sleep calls to me.” 

The Hokage left and Hinata clenched her fists and her jaws. Miss. He had called her “miss” and not “my lady”. She was Great Lady of Yggalë, now, he ought to treat like so and not like some child. She held the same power as lady Kushina Uzumaki of Laguloé, lord Fugaku Uchiha of Pràyol, and lord Asuma Sarutobi of Qiyén! Her age did not matter. After all, her own father had become lord at the age of fifteen, and she did not doubt that he had never been called “young lord” instead of “my lord”. Why was she insulted like this? She breathed deeply. It was not like her to be so irritable, and she ought to control herself.

“They’ll never return the bones of lord Hiashi, will they?”, Hamya bitterly asked.

“No”, Hanika replied. “I’m sorry my lady.”

Hinata felt some tears running down her cheeks and closed her eyes, allowing her heart to express itself. If she would never allow her feelings to be perceived by those she loathed, she did not have to refrain herself with Hamya and Hanika.

“Mother will be heartbroken to hear it… My poor mother…”, she murmured as she leaned on the balcony railing, eyes lost in the distant.

Her cousins stood by her side. Hamya turned her back to the steppes, arms crossed on her chest and hands clenched around her biceps whilst Hanika had her fingers laced in her back and her chin up. Hinata tenderly smiled despite the few tears. Hamya and Hanika were sometimes as different as the moon and the sun, often sharp-tonged and amused by every situation, but they were also loyal, fiercely loving and braver than a knight. Neiji’s absence was a deep wound in her heart, but the presence of her two cousins was a balm easing the pain.


	10. The Hokage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: racism.  
> Sorry friends, but Jiraiya is no good guy in this story ^^''''

Jiraiya had about two years before being executed for his failure. He would live solely to form his successor, and the Daimyō would order him to kill himself afterwards. A few decades earlier, he would have been horrified at the idea of receiving such an order, but today, he was at peace with his fate. Rare were the Kages who lived as old as him, and he was satisfied with the existence he had had. The Black Potion most likely played an important role in his state of mind, but he did not find in himself any interest for the subject. He was a Kage, and his role was to obey no matter the order. The Black Potion only insured it was the case.

Nevertheless, despite his imminent death, he would not slack off in any way. He was still at the service of the Kingdom of Fire crown, and he had a duty to perform. This duty was today represented by the little girl biding farewell to the Hisuna family, Hinata Hyūga. She was as sweet and polite as ever, surely ignorant of Rasa’s role in her father’s death. Jiraiya found himself feeling pity for this child, who wanted nothing more but to be respected and be worthy of her father. Sadly, she was doomed to fail. Only a tragic fate awaited her, and he wondered what her reaction would be upon understanding it.

For now, she was offering a scarf she had made herself to the youngest prince, the young unstable mage. Jiraiya had not listened to their conversation when the prince had visited her out of respect for her feelings, but he was not stupid. They had both grown incredibly attached to one another during these few days. Her dreaming a bit before being confronted to the harsh truth of Konoha was probably not a bad thing. It would maybe give her the strength to survive the court. She would be happier at Pearlforest than Ivoïré, anyway. In her birth region, she would be loved and respected, and not looked sideways because of her yellowish skin. Even if she would always be protected and served as Great Lady of Yggalë, Konoha would never love her, and her life at Ivoïré would be miserable. It would better for her to go back to Yggalë as soon as she could to live a happier life.

When the moment to climb in the carriage to leave the Sunan steppes, Jiraiya felt a shiver running down his spine and glanced behind him. While he thought the threatening aura came for Baki or Pakura, he realised it came for the young prince, whose eyes were the only part of his body visible because of the fabric protecting his skin from the sun. He looked at him coldly, his aquamarine eyes aimed at him. Jiraiya slightly frown and gulped as he saw something primal glint in the boy’s eyes. Suddenly, a voice cackled in his skull, and Jiraiya immediately grabbed his head, his stomach clenched.

_If anything happens to Hinata Hyūga, we will slowly rip you apart, old man! Don’t believe you can escape my wrath!_

The voice was deafening and Jiraiya thought for a moment he would lose his hearing, but it was gone as suddenly as it had arrived, and the prince flew away, carried by the levitation gift of the Hisunas, to join what Jiraiya assumed to be his balcony. He frowned. This boy was not a mage, but a living prison. A living prison doomed to madness and enamoured with a little girl sweeter than a lamb. He held an amused chuckle back. Only an Yggalën woman could care for such a monster, for they had no shame.

He sat in the carriage and was about to read a book when a source of energy emanating from Hinata Hyūga attracted his attention. He looked up and searched for the power’s origin. He found it easily, for the Yggalën was playing with it; it was a medallion shaped like a small flask filled by a black mist which Jiraiya immediately recognized as Gaara Hisuna’s spelled shadow. Why did she have this around her neck? Was he so enamoured with her that he had gave her a part of his power? It made no sense.

“Miss Hinata, would you allow me to inspect your medallion, please?”, he asked as the carriage shook and left.

She immediately looked up; her pale grey eyes dubitative.

“Why so, my lord?”

“It is spelled, and I’d like to ensure that it won’t harm you.”

“There is no need to worry, my lord”, she replied with a soft smile. “The prince doesn’t wish to harm me in any way; he rescued me.”

“I don’t doubt it, miss. But magic can sometimes be described as alive, and it’s not impossible for a spell to be corrupted and turned away from its initial purpose”, he explained.

The young lady seemed to think about his words. Why could she not just listen to him? The eldest of her cousins took her hand and gave her a tender smile.

“You don’t have to, my lady. But fear not, I’m sure that the prince Gaara control his spell and that lord Jiraiya won’t damage it. After all, it’s a royal present!”

She was smarter that she looked. Destroying a present from a prince would definitely be poorly looked upon and he hoped for the relations between the two Kingdoms – which were already extremely tensed – that the spell under control. Thankfully, Hinata handed him the medallion, and Jiraiya was able to focus.

The mist within the flask was indeed wild and almost uncontrollable but its intention was clear. Protect Hinata Hyūga. The mist, for now asleep, would only awake by the opening of the flask. It was a basic spell, but it worked well. It was not complex and therefore would easily pass the test of time. The prince had thoroughly thought of this spell and had put a lot of energy in it. The shadow encased in the flask could act independently for about ten minutes, which would allow Hinata Hyūga to escape from numerous attacks. The only downside was its one-time use, but he could allow her to keep it.

“The prince’s intentions are laudable, what a devoted young man”, he said as he gave her back the medallion. “Although I hope you will never have to use this present”, he added.

“So do I. But who can pretend knowing the Mother of All’s intentions?”, she replied in her sweet voice.

* * *

The journey was calm and devoid of any incident. The Water Daimyō and miss Hinata conversed when the convoy stopped for the night about any kind of subject, but Jiraiya did no listen; politics were not his domain, and he did not doubt that Mei Terumi only entertained discussions with the young girl out of politeness and not a sincere interest. After all, Hinata Hyūga was but a little girl. Smart for her age, but a terrible liar to whom the fire throne was not destined. She may be the legal heir, but it would not last.

Jiraiya perfectly knew that His Highness Hiruzen would organize a new selection, using a plain pretext to justify it, even though everyone would know the true reason. He would never allow woman, especially an Yggalën, sit on the throne. Hinata Hyūga would receive all the respects of a Great Lady, but she would never be considered as an heir by anyone. After all, her father had only been chosen because he was the least bad option. Kushina Uzumaki was a woman and Fugaku Uchiha was a tyrant in the making. His Highness Hiruzen would have let the Great Lady of Laguloé or the Lord of Pràyol sit on the throne unless he wished to destroy everything he had worked for during his reign.

It was during one of those uninteresting evening of conversation that Jiraiya noticed that one of Hinata Hyūga’s cousins was watching him. She was youngest of the two, but he had not bothered remembering her name. Even if she possessed the same speed as the other members of her clan, she was no threat and therefore, he had failed to see any point in remembering who she was precisely. The eldest was slightly less uninteresting for already splendid and gifted in charming men. He had seen her thank the knight of the Kingdom of the Wind who had dispatched the assassins sent after the two of them, and he had no doubt that this particular knight now dreamt of confessing his love to her. Her exotic beauty would surely charm some men and she would be able to make a living as a courtesan.

Hinata Hyūga’s young cousin whispered something in her sister’s ear, who glanced at her before looking at Jiraiya. She sighed and got up before walking towards him, a polite smile on his face. Would she try to manipulate him thanks to her beauty? He would like to see her humiliate herself like so; he had loved only one woman during his entire life, and she was far more beautiful than a yellowish-skinned Yggalën. Her beauty would surely work on nobles with queer desires and war men, but he was neither. Nevertheless, he was intrigued to know what she could expect of him.

“Lord Jiraiya, may I have a word with you? My sister fears she might offend you, for politeness have never been her strength”, she said.

“Of course. How may I help you?”

“It’s about the assassins sent after my lady. Have you the faintest idea of who they are? Or rather who hired them?”, she asked.

“Alas, I have no evidence”, he replied without naming anyone. The diplomatic incident would have to wait until they were all safe in Konoha.

“I didn’t ask for proof my lord, but a name.”

Jiraiya studied the young woman for a few seconds. She was right to want to know the name of the man the behind the murder of her lord. It would be easier to protect miss Hinata and defend the honour of her birth region. The Yggalëns were depraved, but they loved their land more than anything; their loyalty to their region should never be questioned. He swiftly thought of his options; the Mizukage and Mei Terumi already knew, keeping the secret would then be pointless.

“The Wind Daimyō is my principal suspect, and his Kazekage.”

She did not need to hear about Orochimaru. She did not seem surprised and simply nodded thoughtfully.

“I thought the same thing. He should have warned prince Gaara, his plan might have succeeded”, she said as she mechanically readjusted one of her rings. “What will you do about this? Will there be a war? The Daimyō had Lord Hiashi murdered.”

“We have no proof. His Highness will maybe order me to murder the Wind Daimyō, but I can’t affirm anything”, Jiraiya replied.

The Daimyō would not do anything, using his age as an excuse. He would not unleash his army to avenge Hiashi Hyūga, who had not even been crowned. Moreover, Fugaku Uchiha would surely be radiant because of the chaos of a war and would maybe try to use it to reinforce his influence or even take the throne by force. And if he did so, the civil war would destroy the kingdom. The Daimyō could not take such a risk because of Yggalë. Lady Cho would be grieving, and the survival of her eldest daughter would surely suffice in silencing her anger. Moreover, the Yggalëns were not known for their battle prowess. Some stood out, but it was rather rare. Their bodies were too fragile.

“Nothing will be done, right? Just like you will never give back Lord Hiashi’s bones, or that lady Hinata will never be made Daimyō”, the Hyūga before him declared, not bothering to hide her annoyance.

She could be as furious as she wanted, she probably knew the answers of her questions before asking them. Yggalë had not been part of the kingdom for nearly long enough to be deemed a trustworthy region. Hiashi Hyūga’s great-grandfather, Mélyo Hyūga, had been the last monarch of Yggalë. The seizing was too recent; Yggalë had to learn humility first or his inhabitants would soon attempt to reclaim their precious independence and would deprive the rest of the kingdom of their resources.

“Why question me if you already knew the answers to your questions?”, he sighed.

“I didn’t wish to base my opinion on simple suspicions. I thank you, my lord, for showing me you that His Highness and you are exactly how I thought you were.”

Her sentence finished, the Yggalën turned around and returned to sit down by her sister and her cousin. Jiraiya watched her whisper some words in Hinata Hyūga’s ear, who took her hand and replied something with a tender smile. A few minutes later, the Yggalëns excused themselves and went in their tents.

Jiraiya grabbed one his numerous flasks from his belt, the one containing a potion that would allow him to remain awake all night long and keep his strength. The chance that assassins had followed them was far too high for him to risk sleep. He had to protect the Yggalën maiden; if he failed again, the Yggalëns would more than furious and lady Chō Hyūga would not hesitate a second to throw her clan and their vassals in merciless war against the crown. The Yggalëns would lose, of course, but they would cause important damages and the kingdom would take a lot of time to recover. Moreover, the loss of a powerful clan such as the Hyūga and all its vassals would leave them economically weak and open to the attack of another kingdom.

As he guarded the tent, he allowed his spirit to wander to a simpler era, when he was younger, before Orochimaru’s betrayal. He sighed as he thought about his childhood spent at Ivoïré, as he was trained by the old Sen, blessed by the One of Embers. The former Hokage had both took them under his wing, him blessed by the One of Battles, Orochimaru by the One of Woods. The Kingdom of Fire seemed ready to become more powerful than ever, with two Kage. But Orochimaru had been blinded by a thirst for power once the Black Potion drank. Perhaps this thirst for power had always been present, but was controlled by his feelings?

Jiraiya did not know. Orochimaru had fled Konoha at the age of seventeen, turning towards crime and choosing as a goal the destruction of the five kingdoms. And today, he was reappearing. Why? What was his role in the murder of Hiashi Hyūga? Had he simply served as an alibi to the Wind Daimyō? What interest could Rasa find in an alliance with Orochimaru? He had worked to better the relationship between Konoha and Suna. What could he gain in poisoning the future Fire Daimyō and attempting to murder his heiress? Did he wish to weaken Yggalë for a future invasion?

* * *

When they reached Ivoïré, they were welcomed by His Highness himself, who was waiting for them in the courtyard. All the Hyūgas present in Konoha were also here, without a doubt waiting for their Great Lady. Jiraiya recognized amongst them Kō, the only Hyūga whose name he had remembered. The bird carrying words about the attack had had to arrive a few days prior to them. As soon as miss Hinata climbed down from the carriage with her cousin, Kō’s squire – who also was the overly protective cousin of the maiden – ran towards her, and she immediately took refuge in his arms. How improper; she should be bowing before his Highness, not in her cousin’s arms! He thought her better mannered, but he should have expected this kind of attitude from an Yggalën.

Jiraiya bowed before His Highness, who swiftly gesture for him to stand up. Hiruzen Sarutobi was dressed in black in honour of the deceased High Lord, but the Hokage knew that the Daimyō was more annoyed than saddened by the situation. Jiraiya saw him about to scold miss Hinata for her inappropriate attitude when the Water Daimyō, who had insisted on escorting them all the way back to Konoha, made her entrance. She was as splendid and graceful as ever despite the days of highly uncomfortable travel.

“Daimyō Hiruzen, what an honour to finally see you!”, she exclaimed as she walked closer, Yagura on her heels.

“Daimyō Mei, you are as beautiful as ever”, His Highness replied almost bitterly. “I had rooms prepared for you when I learned that you had the kindness to escort miss Hinata to Konoha. I’m forever indebted to you.”

“It was a pleasure”, she smiled. “ _Lady_ Hinata’s company is one of the most agreeable”, she added, insisting on _lady_.

Jiraiya almost rolled his eyes. Miss Hinata was not fourteen years old yet; he would call her lady until she was at least sixteen, and if everything went smoothly, she would be gone from Yggalë at this moment. The more important things for now were Hiashi Hyūga’s funerals but also for His Highness to have a small discussion with miss Hinata.


	11. The lady and her knight

The Daimyō’s office was one of the rooms containing the most books Neiji had ever seen, except of course for libraries. The furniture was richly engraved and set in gold for some, but Neiji did not pay much attention to it. Hinata had been called by the ruler of the kingdom, and he had insisted on accompanying her. They bowed down before the old monarch, and Hinata sat on a seat in front of the lord while he remained behind her. Neiji glanced at the Hokage standing behind the Daimyō before turning his full attention to Hinata; her cousin gently put her hands on her thighs and forced herself to stand as gracefully and nobly as possible.

Neiji swallowed and his jaws tightened. He hated seeing her like that. Hinata was a terrible liar for she loved the Nine and the Mother of All too much to disobey them. But now she had to reconcile her love with the need to lie to others to defend herself against the lords who would manipulate her. Neiji had only one desire, to rid the Hyūgas, Yggalë and above all Hinata of all their enemies.

“Miss Hinata, allow me first of all to offer my deepest condolences. Your noble father didn't deserve such a fate, and the whole kingdom will mourn him as it should.”

The voice of the Daimyō was as impersonal as usual and brought the squire back to reality. Neiji hated the Daimyō. The old man looked at the members of his clan as if they were barbarians from across the Wild Sea and not members of one of the Four Great Clans of the Fire Kingdom.

“Thank you, Your Highness. I am sure he rests in the gardens of the One of Power and watches over us all as he would have done in his lifetime”, his cousin replied.

“You speak truly. However, in spite of our sorrow, I must discuss with you a more than serious matter.”

“I am at your service, Your Highness”, Hinata said, bowing her head slightly, and Neiji refrained himself from taking a step in her direction.

“This is about the line of succession to the throne. Since the ceremony which was supposed to make your father the new Crown Prince never took place, this role should naturally fall to you as the new clan leader Hyūga”, he says before taking a slight pause. “Nevertheless, I cannot impose such a task on a child who has just lost her father, it would be cruel of me. If you had been a boy, I might have considered it, but women are too subject to grief, and Yggalëns even more so... I cannot decently wrest you from your grief in this way.”

Neiji felt her eyes widen in rage. How dare this man insult his cousin like that? He would tear out his eyes, unable to see beyond the colour of their skin, cut out his tongue, saying nothing but monstrosities, and throw him off his throne in person! His fists clenched, and Neiji had to bite the inside of his cheek so as not to scream in rage. Right in front of him, Hinata shivered slightly, but she just bowed her head.

“I am eternally grateful for your clemency, Your Highness, but I am no fool. I would like to converse frankly with you, if it pleases you”, she said, and Neiji could hear her sweet smile.

The Daimyō seemed surprised at first, then had an amused smile. He folded his hands and studied Hinata in silence. He observed Neiji as well, and the squire looked into the monarch's eyes. He wouldn't bow to him. This seemed to amuse the old man as he smiled slightly before shifting his attention to his cousin.

“Jiraiya warned me that you and your cousins are smarter than you look. I should have known, coming from Yggalëns wearing a snake as a coat of arms, he amused himself. If you wish, I'll be honest. Otherwise I would have to pretend to share your sorrow; I fear I shall soon grow weary of it. Lying is tedious.”

“I can only imagine, Your Highness.”

This seemed to amuse him, for he giggled slightly. Neiji took a deep breath. He had to remain calm.

“You'll never be Daimyō, but I guess your cousins already told you that. The reason is simple; no woman shall sit upon this throne if I can stop her. Your nature is as unpredictable as the Wild Sea, and a war would be too easily started. Kushina Uzumaki, despite her respectable intellect for a woman, had no chance to be Daimyō; so, an Yggalën one! No, impossible. Your morals are too different, too foreign to the Kingdom of Fire for me to let you sit on this throne. Your region has not been with us long enough. Choosing your father was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.”

Neiji felt as if he had swallowed a stone that now weighed on her stomach. How could this man say and believe such atrocities? Paralyzed by the horror, he did not react when the monarch continued his speech. He could hear the frantic beating of his own heart against his ribs and temples, so powerful that he thought for a moment that the organ would break his bones and leave his body.

“Of course, that can't be the official reason. A new selection will take place because, racked with grief, you cannot become an heir princess so soon. You'll be participating officially, but make no mistake, I will not choose you. If you refuse to join this masquerade, well... Jiraiya will pay a visit to your clan. That would be unfortunate, would you not agree?”

“I do, Your Highness”, Hinata answered. “May I be excused?”

“Of course.”

Hinata stood up, bowed, and turned to Neiji who instinctively offered his arm. The shock gradually left his body to be replaced by a new emotion. Rage. A rage so powerful, so wild, so uncontrollable that he could feel his body trembling under its intensity. He wanted to run with the wind and flee from this cursed and hated city. But he restrained himself and guided his cousin out of the room. She offered tender smiles and polite words to those they met on their way back to her apartments. However, this changed as soon as Neiji closed the doors behind them.

She walked straight up to her balcony and opened the glass doors with a sharp blow and stopped under the sun, trembling with her back to him. Neiji followed her and embraced her trembling form. She put her graceful little hands on his arms and leaned her back against his chest. Neiji tightened his grip slightly; she was not alone in facing this cursed capital.

“Damn them all”, she murmured suddenly. “None of them deserve the love of the gods...”

“Perhaps the One of Wrath’s” he replied, hoping to amuse her.

Nevertheless, to his surprise, Hinata violently detached herself from his arms and turned around, eyes squinted and jaw clenched, an accusing finger pointed at him while his other hand rested on his hips.

“Don't say such things. The One of Rage doesn't like corrupt souls, he punishes them.”

The hardness of his voice surprised Neiji, and he approached her before taking her hands in his. He saw the spark of struggle in her eyes, but it disappeared immediately, smothered by a weariness that Neiji did not know.

“I didn't mean to hurt you, Hinata, only to distract you with a jest. Please don't be harmed by my words.”

“Oh, don't apologize, I beg you, it's my fault," she replied in a voice whose sadness was unfathomable. “I am so irritated lately, and the words of the Daimyō are like a sword wielded in my wounds.”

Neiji embraced her at once. His poor cousin had suffered far too much for him to blame her for anything. He stroked her ornate hair and kissed the top of her skull before guiding her to her bed.

“Rest”, he said. “You've just arrived, and I can only imagine how exhausted you are. Let me help you unravel your braids”, he added after a short pause.

She gave him a tender smile, to which Neiji immediately replied. How happy he was to be able to put his eyes on her dear cousin's face again, to hear her voice again, to smell her perfume, to hold her in his arms! He delicately undid Hinata's hairstyle and caressed her long, loose hair as she fell asleep in a few moments under her satin sheets.

A tender smile was born on his lips at the sight of his peaceful face, then a long sigh escaped him, and he stood up. He would never forgive not only those who had hurt Hinata, but also those who had failed her. He thought again of the story of the attack on her. Hamya and Hanika had not been there to protect her, and he clenched his fists. It had been their duty, and they had failed.

* * *

Neiji quickly walked to Hinata's distant maternal cousins’ chambers, as all Hyūga were housed in the same tower and her cousin's ladies slept close to her. He entered their room without bothering to knock on the door and was greeted by a cry of surprise from the two sisters.

“Neiji! What happened to your manners?” Hanika hissed.

“I'm not here to talk about my manners, but about the mission I gave you before you left. To protect Hinata. Why were you absent when she was attacked?” he replied, forcing his voice to be as cold as possible.

Hanika opened her eyes, clearly stunned, but her sister was not so passive. Hamya walked straight towards him and stood before him. His gaze reminded Neiji of the look Hinata had taken earlier when his jest had hurt her.

“There was nothing we could have done to protect her”, she scolded, crossing her arms across her chest. “If you want to vent your anger, then go fight some training dummy.”

“You failed her!" he cried, clenching his fists.

The rage twisted his guts, made his body tremble. How dare Hamya answer him like that after she failed?

“And what were we supposed to do? Die needlessly? Without Prince Gaara, our presence wouldn't have mattered!”

“I don't care about this prince! You should have been there! You left her alone!”

“Alone?” Hanika snarled. “How dare you! Neither Hamya nor I are knights! We almost died that day too! And yet we watched over Hinata tirelessly when she was catatonic! We washed her, dressed her, put her to bed and fed her! She's not the only one who suffered, and you ought to remember that! I know you love her more than anything in this world, but that's no reason to forget us! We're Hyūgas too, and we suffer the same looks, the same insults as her! Even worse! Do you know how many men have wanted to make us courtesans? How many have wanted to possess us both on the same night? Hinata wasn't alone, a prince rescued her! Now, leave this room or I'll make you leave myself!”

Neiji felt as if a stone had fallen to the bottom of her stomach. How could he have neglected Hamya and Hanika like that? How could he have ignored their suffering, their pain, their trials? They were members of his clan, Hyūgas from Yggalë. How could he aspire to become a knight if he ignored his own? How could he have dared to rebuke them like that when they had just escaped an attack? He bit his lower lip, and the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. He clenched his fists and bowed down before them, his eyes fixed on the ground.

“I apologize”, he murmured. “I should never have thought nor uttered such things.”

He felt Hanika coming closer, but he didn't look up. He bit his lip harder, holding back tears of shame. His stomach was twisted by an unparalleled rage directed at himself. He didn't deserve to be a knight of the Hyūga clan if he behaved like that.

“It's too simple”, Hanika raged. “Do you think we'll forgive you like this when all you see is Hinata? You're so blind!” she cried, and Neiji was surprised to hear sobs in the young woman's voice.

He instinctively raised his head to see tears streaming down Hanika's cheeks. His eyes widened and he reached out his hand to her, moved by an external force, but she slapped it away before disappearing into a draught leaving only the fleeting smell of her perfume behind. Neiji stared at the place where she had stood a few moments earlier and then looked up at Hamya. Hamya stared at him coldly.

“My sister loves you, you blithering idiot”, she whistled and Neiji felt her heart miss a beat.

“Hanika loves me...?” he stammered.

“For years. You never noticed it, did you? How could you, after all? All you care about is Hinata”, Hamya spat.

Neiji was about to reply when the ringing of jewels stopped him. He turned around and saw Hinata enter the room, dressed in green and gold, her hair perfectly knotted and adorned. She was flanked by Kō, who was standing a few steps behind her. He had never seen her look so noble and regal, and he could not help but swallow.

“Hamya, may I come in?” she asked in her soft, melodious voice.

“O-of course my lady... I... what I said...” stammered Hamya.

“Don't regret a word you said, cut her tenderly Hinata. I agree with you. Neiji, you're unequally dear to me, but I can't approve of the way you talked to Hanika and Hamya. Go find Hanika and apologize to her; I want you to keep her safe.”

“Hinata, no, I’m sworn to you!” he protested.

“Not yet," his cousin replied sharply. Her voice returned to its usual softness. “My beloved cousin, please. I'm not chasing you away, I just want us all to be united”, she said, taking his hands in hers. “Watch over Hanika, and learn to see other people”, she concluded by standing up on tiptoes and sticking her forehead against his.

Neiji closed his eyes, his teeth clenched. He hated it when she was right, she who was younger. He took a deep breath and moved away to look her straight in the eye. He found a new wisdom in it, one that he had loathed. He longed to drive it out and replace it with the mischievous spark that once shone in his eyes.

“I will, cousin. But promise me something, please.”

“Tell me.”

“Don't always be so wise.”

She smiled softly and shook her head slightly, her jewels tinkling joyfully. He released his hands and left the room, looking for the lady he was now sworn to serve, Hanika of the clan Hyūga.

* * *

Neiji found Hanika sitting on one of the couches in the kiosk that the three young women enjoyed. She was crying silently, the sobs rocking her body the only indication that tears were streaming down her cheeks. Neiji swallowed. He was the reason for Hanika's tears. He had made a member of his clan cry because of his stupidity and blindness. He approached and Hanika raised her head and turned around, ready to send anyone who bothered her away, but froze when she saw him. Her face blushed furiously, in rage or embarrassment, Neiji could not tell.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, trying to appear regal and confident.

“Hinata made me your knight.”

Pain ran through the grey eyes of the young woman, whose fists clenched her skirts.

“I'm grateful for that, but I have no need of your protection. I can run away if any danger should arise.”

“Hanika, I'm grateful to Hinata for placing me at your service”, he cut her off, and she opened her eyes. “I have been utterly vulgar towards you, and I desire to redeem myself; if you wish to act as if I were absent and ignore my existence when I guard you, do so, I will accept it without a word. Only, do not think for a moment that I will fail in my duty and let slip a chance to earn your forgiveness.”

Hanika's tears redoubled, and she tried to wipe them away. Neiji smiled slightly and drew his sword before putting the point in front of him and kneeling on the ground, his eyes fixed on the lady whose safety he had been entrusted with.

“I, Neiji of the clan Hyūga, swear loyalty and protection to you. In poverty or wealth, health or sickness, joy or despair, I shall guard and protect you. Hanika of the clan Hyūga, do you accept to be my lady?”

“I do.”


	12. The Kingdom that fell into ruins

Mei let her weary body sink into the mattress of the room she had been given and sighed. The bedding of the Fire Kingdom was as disappointing as she remembered; the lack of a cushion was the main defect in her eyes, but she could easily name others. She liked to be comfortably settled so that her mind could concentrate on difficult subjects, and the present state of the kingdom next to hers was one of them. Hiruzen's mind had clearly been overtaken by age. The old ruler had never been pleasant, but his intellect had deteriorated terribly. The sovereign sighed; if he was not replaced soon, he would plunge his kingdom into civil war. The fate of the Kingdom of Fire would matter little to Mei if the economic interests of her own were not at stake.

She would have to choose which pretender to the throne to support in order to ensure that trade is always fruitful and a source of much income for Kiri. Mei found the little Hyūga capable and intelligent but the reputation of the Yggalëns, whose region had been the last to be conquered, was far too bad for her to rule effectively over a kingdom that had just survived a civil war. Such a pity. ‘Let’s hope she sides with another party or remains neutral, she cannot win a war and settle on the throne of the Kingdom of Fire', the Queen thought bitterly.

There was a knock on the door and Mei quickly combed her hair before allowing the intruder into her chamber. Yagura entered the room and looked quickly into it before making an imperceptible gesture with his head in the direction of the others. Mei understood immediately; what the Mizukage had to say could not be heard by indiscreet ears and she dismissed the young women who left the room after curtsying before her. Mei remained silent, waiting for Yagura to speak. The Mizukage waited some twenty seconds before crossing his arms and leaning against the wall in front of her.

“I observed Konoha as much as I could. We are on the Jiraiya field, and I could not risk a diplomatic incident by being spotted.”

“You did well," replied Mei. “The situation here is quite tense. What have you heard?”

“Hiruzen Sarutobi will organise a new Selection. Lady Hinata's grief would prevent him from reigning so early and he does not wish to wrest her from her mourning. Of course, this is the official reason.”

“The unofficial is simple, Hiruzen hates the Yggalëns more than anyone else in this Kingdom”, sighed Mei. “He won't let this little girl sit on the throne, even if he were to start a civil war.”

“Indeed," Yagura replied, nodding wisely. “The Uchihas will probably jump on a chance to reign despite the presence of Jiraiya, the Sarutobis will follow their clan leader. The Uzumakis will also fight for the throne, but the big unknown are the Hyūgas. The Uchihas can raise twice as many men as the Uzumakis, which would force them to ally themselves with either the Sarutobis or the Hyūgas. If Lady Hinata decides to participate. She has just acceded to Great Lady status; she might not want to join a war.”

“I don't think so. It doesn't match her temperament and she doesn't seem ignorant of Konoha's hatred of her. She must want to go home to Pearlforest. If she were to win the war one way or another, she would be miserable and would spend her days avoiding assassination attempts.”

“Indeed, but you're forgetting something," Yagura sat down, and Mei raised an eyebrow. “The living prison of Suna, the young prince Gaara. She has calmed down The One of Rage, and the boy seems strongly attached to her. He will be able to support her, and his presence would make a difference on a battlefield. You saw as I did how much he seems to be in love with her.”

Mei frowned for a moment, a hand in front of her mouth, as she watched the scene unfold before her eyes. The little lady had indeed been able to calm the embodiment of all the evil that humans could do, the ultimate tempter, the god in charge of punishing criminals. If she could use it as a weapon, she could do considerable damage and impose herself. Nevertheless, the _if_ was enormous. The boy was a foreign prince, who didn't even seem to be considered a potential heir, and Rasa Hisuna would surely not let him do as he pleased.

“The chances of this happening are too low”, she concluded. How much time do we have before civil war breaks out?”

“No more than two years," Yagura replied after a short pause. “The other heirs need time to arrive, to meet, to gauge each other. The death of Hiashi Hyūga is a long-term poison that will kill this Kingdom as we know it, and the crown's inaction in avenging the death of a Great Lord is one purulent wound amongst too many. A single element will set the powder kegs on fire.”

“I see.”

Mei stood up and approached the window to look out over the courtyard below. The servants were busy like ants carrying crumbs from the stockings, and she let her gaze rest upon them, looking for any hint of empathy for them. These people would be the first victims of a civil conflict and yet she could not find the sympathy she needed to decide to help the Fire Kingdom. She turned to Yagura, who watched her in silence, and readjusted a string of hair behind her ear.

“Do you think we would benefit from such a situation?”

“Possibly. It would be interesting to discuss this with the Minister of the Economy, however. Some of the subtleties of this area escape me and I cannot provide adequate advice.”

“I understand. You will prepare a report on the situation in the Kingdom of Fire in secret as soon as we are on the boat," she decided.

If a civil war in this Kingdom could benefit her, Mei would not hesitate for a moment to start it herself. She had learned long ago to care only for her own. Those for whom she was not responsible should not be variables in her decisions if she wanted to lead her Kingdom towards excellence and wealth. ‘I vowed to make the Water Kingdom prosper, no matter what price I had to pay. This land is not mine; this people is not mine. I can't burden myself with remorse to put Kiri's bloody era behind us', she thought, closing her eyes.

Images of those terrible years came back to her memory; her arrival on the throne after years of manipulation, lies and plots to save her people and ensure that those she was sworn to defend would never again be treated like that. Mei opened her eyes again, determined. She would crush the world for her Kingdom, and she would never be ashamed of it. If she had to plunge the Fire Kingdom into chaos for the sake of her people, she would do so without losing a night's sleep. She had sacrificed her innocence long ago for this vow, and she would achieve her goal.

Hinata Hyūga's face came back to her memory. This face so expressive, whatever the emotion felt. She had been so similar to this child many years ago, but her mother had guided her and taught her how to survive and triumph over her enemies. With the help of her name and some powerful allies, she had been able to prevail over her enemies. Unfortunately for her, Hinata Hyūga had neither. Her name and her skin were synonymous with contempt for Konoha, and she was sorely lacking allies. This child would be eaten alive by the court. ‘If only you were a little Uchiha, you could have reigned with magnificence,' thought Mei.

“Your Highness, there's something else we need to talk about," Yagura suddenly said, wrenching Mei from her thoughts.

“I’m listening.”

“It is about the assassination of Hiashi Hyūga. I don't think Orochimaru or Rasa Hisuna are responsible.”

Mei frowned, intrigued. What did he mean by that?

“Hiruzen loathes the Yggalëns, but Lord Hiashi was the only viable solution for the kingdom, as he was easy to assassinate. Thanks to Hiashi's death, Hiruzen was able to restart a new Selection, and this time to call the heirs of the Great Lords. This would allow him to oust the Yggalëns and give power to the Uzumaki or Uchiha.”

“Do you think Hiruzen had Lord Hiashi murdered? If this is true, the truth is bound to come out.” She paused to think. “Nevertheless, it makes sense. Jiraiya could have prepared the poison, and Hiashi would have trusted any drink given by Hokage.”

“I think so, Your Highness. Orochimaru might have been hired to use as decoy, however. From what Roshi told me, they retreated swiftly.”

“So Hiruzen has definitely lost his mind. Yagura, we're leaving tomorrow, I don't want to linger here. I want spies in the palace in the moon after our return, I can't ignore what is happening here and the consequences for Kiri.”

“It will be done, Your Highness.”

Mei nodded her head slightly, lost in thought. She longed to be away from the ruined kingdom, and to be able to observe the collapse of the country from afar. It would not be good to be in the Fire Kingdom for the next few years. This reminded her once again, terribly and fatally, of Hinata Hyūga. This little one did not seem to want to leave her mind. She sighed and decided, for once, to have a little sympathy for a stranger.

“Find a maid and tell her to find me Lady Hinata. I would like to have dinner with her tonight. She can't win, but at least she can survive," she said.

Yagura remained silent and motionless for a moment before nodding his head, bowing slightly, and leaving the room.

* * *

Mei looked at herself in the mirror, satisfied with her appearance. She had declined an invitation to dine with Hiruzen to favour her meal with the young lady, but this did not mean that she should not be wearing her best outfit. She had chosen a traditional dress from her kingdom made of blue silk embroidered with gold, and a royal blue shawl hung from her arms with gold bracelets. Her train floated almost like foam around her hips and along her pale legs. Mei smiled and adjusted her tiara. Perfect. If she wanted this little one to listen to her, she had to look as regal as she could.

Mei was guided to the gardens where she would have dinner with Lady Hinata by a next one from Konoha, Yagura on her heels. When she arrived, she found her guest already seated, conversing with a knight from her clan. Her arrival caught the attention of Lady Hinata who immediately stood up and bowed to her. Mei gave her a fake tender smile and sat down in front of her.

“Your Majesty, it is an honour to have received this invitation”, the little lady said once seated as well.

“It's not just a social call," Mei replied. “Yagura, please make sure no one is listening to us.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

Hinata Hyūga’s face closed immediately and her grey eyes became piercing as her lips discreetly pinched. Mei smiled slightly, amused by the mistrust the girl had immediately shown. This was the reaction that Daimyō expected from the Yggalën, but she still had a long way to go. If she knew how to hide her emotions from the idiots and those who thought her incapable or foolish, she was incapable of doing so in front of someone more trained.

“I do not have the arrogance to imagine that you would wish to spend more time in my company without any further motivation, Your Majesty," replied the young lady, forcing a polite smile to appear on her face.

“No, indeed, you are not foolish enough, my Lady. Tell me, what do you think of Konoha's condition?”

“I don't think much of it, as I only wish to return to Pearlforest and leave this place behind me. The few moons I’ve spent here have disgusted me.”

“What honesty! Aren't you afraid that Daimyō will find out how you feel?" Mei amused herself.

“He did not hide his contempt for the Yggalëns and myself from me, and I already know that the throne of this Kingdom will never be mine," Hinata replied Hyūga. “Why should I tire myself and my hatred for him in the absence of high dignitaries from Konoha?”

Mei blinked her eyes before bursting into a sincere laugh. This little girl had an idea of the danger she was in but refused to deny who she was! Her honour would lose her. Daimyō took a sip of wine and tilted her head slightly to the side. The young lady examined her silently, the dots surely tightened on her skirt to mask her fear.

“You're a very funny child," she says. “Do you even know how hostile Konoha's court is to you?”

“I don't know enough about the court to truly know," admitted the Yggalën. “Nevertheless, I know that every day spent here will be a test. My father's death has left our household vulnerable.”

“Indeed. I feel more sympathy for you than I usually allow myself to, so don't forget what I'm going to say to you tonight," Mei replied.

“Any advice from you would be like a blessing from the gods, Your Majesty.”

“Neither the palace, nor the city, nor this region will ever be yours. You must never forget this. You cannot win against your opponents here, but I will teach you how to survive.”


	13. The heirs

_Dear Prince Gaara,_

_I hope this letter finds you in good health of body and mind. We arrived in Ivoïré without any problems, although the welcome was colder than the highest mount of the Kingdom of Earth. To my great disgust, mine are still not welcome in this cursed capital. I bitterly regret the days when I was ignorant that men could be disgusted by the colour of their neighbours' skin! But such sad words!_

_I had the honour of dining with Her Majesty Mei Terumi and Lord Mizukage. She is an incredible woman, and I admire her strength! Seeing her command the respect of all makes me – I must confess – jealous, and I confess that I would like to have even one ounce of her incredible charisma. The Nine may have heard me, because at our dinner, she shared with me a few “tricks”, I would say, to appear nobler and honour my title. I hope to succeed, for I cannot shame Yggalë! Especially with the new Selection coming up; I will have to represent my region in front of the future Great Lords, and that makes me anxious._

_On a second, more joyful note, I learned a few songs from the Kingdom of Wing on the harp. The Litany of the Desert was very difficult, but it is so beautiful that I could not have given up. Will you do me the honour of listening to me perform it at our next meeting? I would also like to find a dance teacher, but it seems that the only teachers living in Ivoïré are old fools who have lost their minds to age! I will probably have to hire dancers passing through; I only hope that I will not be lent indecent relations with them!_

_I pray every night that The One of Wrath will leave you in peace. Has the One of Peace heard my prayers? Can you rest and dream as you wish? How is Suna doing?_

_I hope to hear from you soon._

_Your devoted friend,_

_Hinata of the Hyūga clan._

Gaara felt a smile appear on his lips as he reread Hinata's letter to him. He could almost see her smile and hear her voice as she excitedly spoke about music and dance. She seemed to have a true love for both arts, and he could not help but imagine her voice singing the sweet Litany of the Desert. It would undoubtedly be wonderful to listen to, her silken voice was already like a light caress when she was just talking, or like the song of birds when she was enthusiastic about a subject. It would such a marvellous moment! He took a sheet of paper and a feather, thinking of the letter he might write to her.

_Dear Great Lady Hinata,_

_Your letter has brought me all the serenity I could wish for, and I am reassured that you are safe and sound, although I can only urge you to be as careful as you can. Orochimaru is still at large, and who knows what plan he is concocting to destroy international peace. As for the hatred you may receive in Konoha, pay little attention to it; you are far more beautiful than anyone living in Ivoïré, and your power is only surpassed by that of Daimyō. A few rich merchants cannot compare with you._

_Her Majesty Mei is indeed an interesting woman, especially considering the history of her kingdom! I have not had the opportunity to converse with her, so I must believe you about her personality. I hope the Mizukage treated you with respect, it seems to me that he can be quite impolite. Finally, perhaps I am not in a good position to talk!_

_I look forward to our reunion, and I hope to hear you sing! I myself am a poor singer, but I can try to improve myself to accompany you. My father disapproves of every choice I make, so I might as well do what I want, right?_

_The situation in Suna is most annoying, I must confess; the investigation into the attack on Orochimaru does not seem to be progressing, and the competition between my brother and sister has lost all interest in my eyes. It was fun to see them fighting for the attention of the Council a few months ago when the race started, but now it is quite pathetic. It is quite obvious that Temari is going to win and the whims of Kankurō are worthy of a child. I can't wait for all this to end! And for my sister to become Daimyō. She will be much better than my father, but he is not about to give up the throne, to my great misfortune._

_I pray that this letter finds you happy and at peace. May the Mother of All protect you and guide your steps._

_I will wait for your answer._

_Your devoted,_

_Prince Gaara Hisuna de Suna._

Gaara put down her feather and sighed. He had never written a letter to anyone before. Did he respect conventions? He did not want to offend his dear interlocutor; the idea that she would be offended and therefore upset with him for so little would break his heart. Nevertheless, the memory of the courage she had shown in saving him from the bloodlust of the One of Rage reassured him. She was not like all the young ladies he had met; she was sharper in spirit and more merciful in heart. Confident, the young prince put away his feather. His letter would probably need some reworking, but he was satisfied with his first draft. Hinata seemed to appreciate his frankness, and he appreciated hers. So why should he hide behind false politeness? Was sincerity not a primary value?

Gaara stood up and ran a hand through her hair. What a fascinating lady! She would almost make him believe in the values of the Mother of All! If he was sincere, it was only out of pragmatism; the day when he would fear the primordial goddess had not come. He grabbed the letter and reread it, then took a deep breath. This is how he would send it; he did not want to get tired of hiding any message behind unreliable words and sinuous sentences.

* * *

The prince left his room and set off towards the falconry. All the travelling birds were there and were pampered by the servants working there. They always had to be vigorous and healthy if messages had to be sent urgently over long distances. One of the falconers saw him arrive and his eyes widened slightly. Gaara rolled her eyes slightly as the man hurriedly made a clumsy and fearful curtsy. The prince watched him coldly for a short moment. _What a pathetic insect with non-existent bravery,_ he thought.

“I need a bird for Konoha,” he ordered.

“Of course, right away Your Highness! To whom shall I address it?” replied the falconer in a trembling voice.

“The Grande Dame Hinata of the Clan Hyūga. There is no need to indicate its provenance.”

“As you wish, Your Highness!”

Gaara watched him prepare a bird in silence. He exuded no charisma or dignity, and the prince wondered how birds of prey as majestic as those he was training could obey him. He looked up at the birds, which had been chirping and screaming furiously since his arrival. He sneered slightly. The animals had always hated him but, as usual, none of them had the courage to attack him or chase him from his territory. In the end, this falconer was a perfect match for these birds! They were all too stupid to understand that he did not care about them and would never stoop to killing them. The most insulting thing was that the servants thought he was capable of murdering innocent people for pleasure; no matter how much the One of Wrath had tortured him, he had never killed a servant who had had the misfortune to pass by. A sigh escaped him, and he closed his eyes. He already missed Hinata and her eyes filled with sincere confidence.

“Y-Your Highness, the bird is ready to go.”

Gaara reopened his eyes and slid them towards the falconer, not tiring to turn to him.

“Well send it. My father doesn't need to know, is that clear?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Gaara turned around and walked towards the falconry gate. As he went to grab the handle, the door opened abruptly, revealing Temari's distraught face, whose eyes were surprisingly red and puffy. He had never seen her cry, and Gaara realised that something serious had happened. She froze when she saw him. Then her expression closed, and she almost pushed him out of the way to get into the falconry. Gaara turned around to watch her chase the falconers away and sit among the birds of prey. She stretched out her arms and a few of them came and sat on her lap or beside her, rubbing against her like cats. The prince's eyes widened; he did not know that his sister was so good with birds or that she came to seek comfort from them.

He approached slowly and a few birds shouted at him before flying away and circling around him. _Hm. They're braver if Temari is involved; how funny,_ he thought. His sister raised her head towards him. Her eyes were piercing, her jaw tight and her body taut. What had happened? He folded his arms across his chest.

“What is happening to you? You never cry.”

“Of course I'm cry, but you don't care how we fare!” she replied angrily.

She probably hoped that he would fall to his knees to apologise for his behaviour until then, that he would become an exemplary little brother. However, this was only proof that she was not in her normal state. He had no intention of changing. He was perfectly satisfied with his relations with his family members and did not want to be closer to them; their eyes filled with fear and pity made him sick. Why would he burden himself with such relationships?

“You don't cry in public, that's why your behaviour caught my attention. If you don't want to talk to me about it, I'll leave,” he replied coldly.

He turned around and took a few steps when he heard Temari hailing him. He stopped and turned around three-quarters of the way. Had she changed her mind? She better hurry, he hated this dirty, stinking falconry.

“Why her?”

“Develop.”

“The Hyūga girl. Why do you trust her so much? I have tried over and over again to understand you, to be a sister, but each time you’ve rejected me. Why her?” Temari persevered.

Was Temari jealous? That was fun. How could she dare to hope to be more than just a distant sister to him when she was unable to look at him without fear? Even now, fear was hidden beneath her hostility, an eternal presence.

“She is not afraid.”

“In that case, she’s lost her mind!” spat the princess.

Gaara suddenly felt as if he had just been slapped and he took a step back. He had always known that his family and everyone in this accursed kingdom feared him, but hearing Temari say these words was like a whiplash. He thought honesty would do him good, but it was like having a bucket of ice water dump on his body. His fists clenched his arms and he took a deep breath. In the back of his skull, the laughter of the One of Wrath resounded. The sneer seemed to swirl erratically in his mind, as if one of the storms that sometimes swept across Suna's steppes was shaking it in all directions.

Gaara bit his lip, refusing to let the voice of the hated god dictate his thoughts and tried to ignore the thirst for blood that now pulsed through his veins like the beating of his heart. He could not succumb. He set his eyes on Temari, hoping that the sight of his sister would calm him. When he met his sister's lapis lazuli gaze, a wave of relief came over him. He had no reason to be angry. She did not deserve it; she was just a liar who three months earlier had claimed she liked him. But now, her actions and words proved otherwise.

He turned around and, ignoring Temari's sobs, left the falconry without a glance back, his jaws tensed, and his fists clenched. Hinata's kindness had led him to believe that perhaps he could try to mend the broken ties that bound him to his family – except for his father – but it was clearly a lost cause. He returned to his room only to find Kankurō leaning against the door, waiting for him, flanked by a knight whose name Gaara had not bothered to remember. The younger prince growled. Why was he burdened with the weight of their presence? These lying cowards did not interest him.

“What do you want?” he grumbled.

“Just to introduce you to your future sovereign”, answered Kankurō.

“Temari should be the heiress,” Gaara said, frowning her white eyebrows.

“True, but she is a pervert who prefers the company of women. How could she reign properly over the kingdom?” replied Kankurō with a cruel smile.

Gaara suddenly had the impression that lead had fallen into the bottom of her stomach. How had Temari's secret come to light in this way? Then, slowly, as if the conclusion refused to appear in his mind, he understood. And rage swept through him wildly, swirling in his mind like a furious tornado. Gaara clenched his fists and, with an instinctive wave of his hand, slapped Kankurō in the face, making him fall to the ground. He felt his fangs lengthen as his shadow swirled around his ankles, waiting for his orders. Temari's tears came back to him, as did her aggressiveness. It was normal for her to be in this state, and he was not the reason for it. His sister was no liar, she was merely heartbroken.

“She made you swear! You took an oath!” he roared. “How could you break your word like that?”

Kankurō coughed up a little blood while the knight helped him up. His elder brother glared back at him and when he spoke his tone was poisonous.

“You wouldn't understand!” replied Kankurō. “All my life I have sweated to be the heir. Do you think I wasn't going to do everything to win?”

“A man who breaks his word doesn't deserve a throne,” Gaara whistled.

“How wise for a killer!”

“I have never broken my word, and killing does not prevent me from being able to think coherently! Leave, you dirty snake, before I decide to make Temari the heiress!”

Kankurō seemed to understand the meaning behind his words and immediately ran away, his knight on his heels.

* * *

Gaara slammed the door of his room behind him, trembling, and removed the layers of clothing that were obstructing his face and hands. Her gaze fell on his reflection, which trembled like the surface of a pond before becoming independent, his eyes black and golden and his skin covered with strange marks. The prince took a step backwards, panting. His skull had been taken over by heavy masses, his stomach was twisted, and he was cold although sweat dripped down his temples. He leaned against a piece of furniture, staring hard at its dangerous reflection.

“What... do you... want...” he grunted.

The One of Rage smiled cruelly and dusted off his clothes.

“Me? It's quite simple, I want blood and violence. Nothing very original, of course, but I'm getting bored ! Let me ask you the same question, kid. Don't you want to go to Kiri? Or maybe to Konoha, to join your sweet Hinata? A charming girl by the way, I am very happy that you didn't obey me, after thinking about it, she is very interesting.”

Gaara clenched her jaws but, unable to stand on her own, could not attempt to look intimidating.

“That's what I'd like to do, yes, but I have no official reason to go there,” grumbled the prince. “I cannot speak for you, but I have no desire to live like a beggar, especially with a body that doesn't tolerate the sun.”

The god tilted his head to the side, seeming to think, before sighing.

“Ah yes, I forgot about human conventions. It's terribly tedious! Nevertheless, I want to have fun, and your present life is catastrophically boring! But never mind, I'll do something about it. You are fourteen years old, aren't you? That's a correct age to start taking power in humans, it seems to me.”

“More or less”, panted Gaara. “What are you going to do?”

The smile of the One of Wrath seemed to stretch to his pointed ears, giving him a nightmarish appearance. Gaara swallowed. What could have gone through the mind of the god?

“The letter from your sweetheart gave me a good idea. We're going to have a lot of fun, kid!”


	14. The candidates

Chapter XIV: The candidates.

The wind was dancing in her hair when Hinata heard the knock at the door of her chambers. The girl sighed; she did not want to see anyone. To feel the wind coming from the west on her skin, where Suna was enthroned and where her beloved prince lived, was a most pleasant sensation and she wished she could stay like this for long hours. Unfortunately, she had no choice; she had far more pressing responsibilities than just personal pleasure. She readjusted her braids and quickly made sure in the mirror that her skirts were not wrinkled. Once satisfied with this quick glance, she signaled to Kō to open the door to her chambers. She was a maid.

"Lady Hinata, Lords Itachi and Sasuke of the Uchiha clan have arrived. They would like to invite you to have a snack with them."

Hinata remained silent for a moment, considering her possibilities. She had only one deser: to refuse and lock herself up again in her chambers to wait for the end of this idiotic Selection. Unfortunately, she could not put her personal interests before the interests of Yggalë and her own. She had to make a good impression on the future High Lord of Pràyol, or even on the future Daimyō. Hinata gritted her teeth at the thought of having to befriend people who participated in the hatred her people received, but she controlled herself and forced a polite smile to appear on her face.

"I would be delighted. When are they expecting me?"

"Whenever you wish, my Lady."

"Very good. Help me with my hair, please."

A few minutes later, Hinata was sitting in front of her dressing table, observing in the mirror the delicate actions of the maid. She was slower than Hamya or Hanika when it came to redo the jewelled braids, but she was also much softer. Hamya tended to be quick but rather brutal in her actions; it was not for nothing that Hanika, with her sensitive scalp, refused to let her sister do her hair.

Once the braids had been redone, Hinata opened her wardrobe and thought about which dress to wear. She was dressed quite simply today, but she longed to leave an impression of nobility on the two Pràyolians. Her present dress would not do the trick.

She chose a silver dress. The bustier was embroidered with dark crystals and interlacing black threads. The bottom of the bustier formed a "v" on the skirt, while at the bottom of the skirt there were dark plants with flowers made of crystals. The dress was sleeveless, and she chose a black shawl embroidered with silver and petticoats of the same colour to go under her dress. She would not wear bright colours for another month. She had to appear in mourning, no matter how much she resented her father. Finally, Hinata put on some jewellery, including the snake-shaped bracelets Neiji had given her three moons ago, looked at herself one last time in the mirror and decided she was ready.

"Show us the way," she says to the maid.

The latter nodded and guided them through the corridors of Ivoïré to chambers on the upper floor. Hinata could not help being slightly jealous. The candidates, Naruto Uzumaki and Itachi Uchiha, were housed above her because she was not participating in the Selection. Officially, this was the case, but everyone knew that she would never be chosen. Nor had she been able to inherit her noble father's old chambers, and she had been relegated to the floor below. It was insulting.

Hinata nevertheless tried to calm her anger and envy. They were not worthy of such feelings. She had Yggalë, the most beautiful place that the Mother Of All had created on this earth, a loving and strong clan, the affection of a wonderful prince, straight out of a song. Thinking of her dear prince made her smile and calmed the whirlwind of jealousy and annoyance within her. He filled her with affection and peace, as if the One of Peace herself embraced him.

Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha were exactly what Hinata had imagined. Almost an ugly pale compared to Gaara's porcelain complexion, the brothers could have been twins if they had been the same age. Their hair was as black as Hyūga, and both were taller than her. Itachi may have been two heads taller than her, and Sasuke only one. If she was objective, she would think they were handsome boys. Unfortunately, she had no deser to be objective when other parts of the kingdom mocked her for something as stupid as skin colour or cultural differences. Why would she strive to be objective in her heart when they were nothing but prejudice and impoliteness?

"Miss Hyūga, it's an honour," said ser Itachi – he was a knight after all – kissing her hand.

Hinata blushes beautifully. She knew how to blush when she wanted to, a talent that Her Majesty Mei had praised. She only hoped that she would honour the teachings and lessons shared by Daimyō when they dined together several weeks ago.

"My _Lady_ ", Kō calmly intervened.

"I beg your pardon?" the knight asked.

"Lady Hinata is the Great Lady of Yggalë. Please address her by her title, my lord."

"Ah! Yes, of course. I beg your pardon, my Lady," apologized the heir of Fort-Ruby.

Her apology was sincere, but she could see the confusion in her eyes.

"It's nothing," answered Hinata with a tender smile. "The trip was undoubtedly exhausting; I'm surprised you did not opt for a nap! I slept for hours after arriving in Ivoïré," she added with a laugh.

It was not a sincere laugh at all, because she did not want to be there, but Her Majesty Mei had told her that her laugh was beautiful. It was, with its title and words, a weapon that she had to sharpen. Daimyō had also complimented her beauty, but Hinata knew that her appearance would be more damaging to her than anything else in this cursed city. Therefore, although being beautiful could win her some favours from old ministers or noblemen, she did not need to sharpen it in the same way. She just had to make sure she was the best dressed so as not to be ridiculous. Putting her clan to shame, even in the eyes of these insipid and idiotic nobles, would be unbearable.

"This is the advantage of my few campaigns with other knights, my Lady. My brother refuses to admit his tiredness," joked ser Itachi.

Sasuke, slumped on an armchair, raised his eyebrows at the attention of his brother. Hinata giggled slightly and settled down in one of the comfortable chairs. The knight sat down in front of her while the servants laid pastry dishes and tea on the table. Sasuke also came closer, but Hinata could see that he was struggling with exhaustion. Nevertheless, he would never admit it, his pride would not allow it. How silly male pride could be! Neiji was the same, sometimes. Hanika would often tell her amusing anecdotes about her cousin when they had dinner with other women. It was quite funny.

"My Lady, I wanted to offer you all the condolences of our clan. Pràyol will mourn the loss of a High Lord of this nobility for years to come," Itachi said.

Hinata froze, looking into the eyes of the Uchiha. She had only one deser, to slap him with all her strength, and not to leave on the spot demanded all her control. How _dare_ he? While he was taking part in this masquerade! Hinata thought about what she could answer without insulting him, but it was Sasuke who took the floor.

"Itachi, you are an idiot. Do you believe this is what Lady Hinata wants to hear?"

He turned towards her and bowed his head.

"Please forgive my brother, my Lady. He is not as polite as he likes to think."

"Your apology is accepted, ser – forgive me. Are you a knight too?" she asked, hoping to change the subject of the discussion.

"Unfortunately, not yet. I am only a squire, but I will soon be knighted, if all goes well."

Hinata forced herself to smile again.

"I will pray for your success. I should introduce you to my cousin Neiji, he too is a squire. Kō, do you know when Neiji will be knighted? It seemed to me that it will happen soon."

"The final test is in a fortnight, my Lady."

"I can't wait to attend," she smiles before taking a sip of tea. "Perhaps you could attend too?"

"It would be a pleasure," Sasuke replied with a polite smile. "What do you think, Itachi?"

"You can't be more prepared. If you did not participate, I'd have to beat you up," joked the elder. "Lady Hinata, I would also be delighted to meet your cousin."

"Of course, ser. I'll arrange a dinner soon, so we can talk at greater length than today."

What a plague that would be! They were uninteresting. How could lord Itachi claim the throne when his politeness left something to be desired in such a way? She exchanged a few more courtesies, before apologizing to leave the room. The snack had been delicious, Ivoïré's cooks were truly the best in the kingdom, but it was not enough to make her stay longer.

She wanted to return to her chambers and write to her mother. She had to study Yggalë's economic reports as well as those concerning security. Her father had been murdered, and no culprit had been arrested. Of course, Orochimaru seemed to be the obvious culprit, but if he was behind the attack and the poison, why had his father been the only victim? Why would he have targeted him anyway? He had not yet been crowned. Was it a personal vendetta against the kingdom of fire? If so, why bother attacking the council of Daimyōs? It did not make any sense. If his father was the only victim, it was because he was the only target. Assassins had also been sent after her and her cousins. Whether they were sent by Orochimaru or someone else, the Hyūga had clearly been targeted. She could not forgive such an act, and, as the Grand Lady of Yggalë, she had a duty to investigate and find out who had such a grudge against her clan.

"My Lady, before you leave us, I would like to ask you a question."

Itachi's voice startled Hinata, and she turned to him, forcing a smile on his face.

"Of course, I am listening to you."

"Who will you support in this Selection?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Itachi!" Sasuke cried out, but his brother ignored him.

"You don't live on the same floor as us, you don't truly take part in the Selection, do you? Who are you going to support, then? Naruto Uzumaki, or myself? A boy just fifteen years old, or an adult, knight and strategist?" he asked, an arrogant smile on his face.

"Are you out of your mind?" Sasuke asked indignantly.

Hinata did not hear the youngest of the brothers, as the words of the eldest sounded like a slap in the face. Her ears were even whistling. By the Nine, was he not ashamed? Did he have no humility? Was this how the future Pràyolian High Lords were raised? No wonder their region was known for their skill in warfare. This kind of attitude, which disregarded all lessons of diplomacy, started wars in less time than it took to blink!

"Certainly not the rude man who allows himself to behave like that! Do you think that your charms and your skill with the sword will make other rulers forget your obscenity? You will plunge us into an armed conflict in just a few minutes, with an attitude like that!"

She left, slamming the door behind her. Once outside, the young woman ran away at full speed. She wanted to collapse on her bed and cry her eyes out. The situation had been horribly frightening and had made her furious. The wind of her run caressed her face, reminding her of the wind from the steppes of Suna where her dear prince lived. How was he doing? Was the One of Rage tormenting him? If only she could feel his embrace once more, all those negative feelings, all those harmful emotions would disappear like snow in the sun. Why, why her? Why did she have to face all this? Had she offended the Nine?

Hinata did not stop running until she was at the edge of her balcony, her hands on the stone railing where she had been a short hour earlier. Tears of frustration ran down her cheeks and soon her knees gave way. The young woman let herself slide to the ground. Her fingers remained on the stone, which formed cage-like bars. Through them she could see Ivoïré, then Konoha, and to the west, hundreds of leagues from here, stood the Yggalën forests and Pearlforest. A sob shook her shoulders. She wanted to go home; to see her dear mother again, to hold Hanabi in her arms, to bathe in the hot springs. She so dearly wanted to return to her blessed days!

But she could not; she was a prisoner of this hated place, of these nobles and rich merchants, of their unfounded hatred and contempt. They had thrown her dreams of the capital to the ground and trampled them down without the slightest regret. Why did they do this? Why did they have to treat her people like that? She grabbed the enchanted vial around her neck, clutching it with all her might. She so dearly wanted her prince to be there to reassure her, so that she could dream again at his side as she had done when she had met him. Unfortunately, this was in the past, and she had to concentrate on the present and the future. She had to bury the spontaneous little girl, let the Great Lady be born. She had to love and protect her own. That was her duty, after all.

* * *

She met Naruto Uzumaki a few days later. The future lord of Laguloé was a jovial boy for whom she could not help feeling a certain sympathy. His clan was small and less powerful, but he was still proud of his origins. He only bowed his head to the Daimyō and looked ser Itachi straight in the eye. He seemed to find him deeply annoying. Just for that alone, Hinata decided she liked him much more than the rude Pràyolian knight. Nevertheless, he was not very smart, and his joviality would be useless for managing the economy and taxes. Oh, he would be a Daimyō beloved by the people, she had no doubt. But if he led the kingdom to its ruin, it would be useless. Ser Itachi had the mind, and Naruto Uzumaki the heart. If they were one and the same person, it would be perfect. Unfortunately, as things stood, that either one or the other became Daimyō was bad news.

Hinata sighed; such thoughts tended to spoil banquets.

"My Lady, what's going on? You look pale," suddenly said Hanika, sitting opposite her, wrenching Hinata from her thoughts.

Neiji was sitting next to Hanika, and Hinata was delighted to see that a relationship seemed to be developing between them. They deserved to be happy, and she would destroy everything between them and their happiness. They had suffered enough. Poor Neiji had lost her mother, Hamya and Hanika their parents, and Suna's attacks had left them haunted by horrible nightmares.

"Unpleasant thoughts about the Selection," she replied with a smile. "What do you think of the young lords who have just arrived?"

"Charming to the eye, though a little pale to me," Hamya laughed. "I haven't spoken to them yet, though. I doubt they'd be interested in a simple Yggalënne lady-in-waiting," she added, pretending to be offended.

The girls puffed, and Neiji rolled her eyes. The other knights of the clan smiled slightly, amused by the discussions between the young women. Hamya's joke relaxed the atmosphere, and Hinata enjoyed a little more the banquet and the music played. She did not really enjoy herself, too worried about Yggalë and the safety of her family, but the miserable feeling that had devoured her until then calmed down.

A few hours later, as she was returning to her chambers, Kō beside her talking to her about the knights' examination that would soon take place, Hinata saw the Prime Minister himself in the corridor, Danzō Haruno. Hinata frowned and stopped; he was a sinister man who did not inspire the slightest confidence in her. It was said that his spy network was even better than Jiraiya's, but Hinata did not believe it. Hokage was a centuries-old position. Danzō Haruno was only a man.

"Ah, Lady Hinata, I was looking for you," he said.

"My lord, can I help you in any way?"

"Yes. I'm sorry to bother you while you are probably going to rest, but I would like to ask you a question. Perhaps by accompanying you to your chambers?"

"Of course. I hope you'll forgive me if I can't give you the smartest answers, I'm afraid that fatigue is putting my mind to sleep."

"I have no doubt in your intelligence, my Lady, I am sure I would be very pleased to converse with you," he replied, offering his arm.

Hinata took it delicately, unsure of herself. What did this man want from her so late? She did not trust him, but Kō was with her. She should be safe. Or, at least, she hoped she was.

"As Prime Minister, I have to make sure that all the clans get along, or at least coexist in peace. You are the Grand Lady of Yggalë, and therefore I would like to know your feelings about the lords you have to work with."

Hinata remained silent for a moment. Was such a question really urgent? Could it not wait until the next day? This discussion was a crude trap. She immediately moved away from the minister and backed away slightly, her eyes wrinkled with contempt. Kō stood at his side, one hand on the palm of his sword.

"My lord, I thought you had an ounce of respect for my intelligence. However, whatever trap you set for me, it is crude. Kō, let's get out of here. This conversation is over."

She turned her heels, annoyed, and decided to lie down. It had been an exhausting day; she was only a novice in terms of economy. Once she had taken a few steps, she heard the voice of Danzō again.

"I thought you would say that. But please answer me, it is important."

Hinata stopped and turned three-quarters of the way, watching the Prime Minister. He did not seem at all offended by his contempt, which Hinata found nothing but more suspicious. She stroked the enchanted flask. If things went wrong for any reason, she always had this. If the past few months had taught her one thing, it was mistrust.

"Why would I do it? I don't know what you are planning, and I don't trust you."

"A wise decision, because our relationship will depend on your response. If you don't answer, I'll take the same action as if your answer did not suit me," he replied calmly.

"Kō could kill you before you blinked," Hinata replied. "I'm not stupid enough to ask him, though. I would be hanged, and my people would be massacred. The Daimyō is just waiting for a good reason to do so," she hissed.

"The Daimyō has lost its mind."

Hinata's eyes widened. It seemed to amuse Danzō who laughed slightly and offered her a hand. She seemed to like his reaction.

"I apologise for my behaviour. I choose my allies carefully, and my enemies even more so. You have the intelligence and the heart that many rulers need. My spies are watching you, my Lady, and what they have reported to me has pleased me. You have listened to and applied the advice of Her Majesty Mei, you have a relationship with a force of nature lurking in Suna, you are putting your life on the line for your own people in a losing game against Daimyō. You would make a much better ruler than the two youngsters we have."

"I was excluded from the Selection by the Daimyō."

"Unofficially. According to the law, you still participate. And if the nobles and the people happen to prefer you to the other two candidates, it's not your fault, is it? My goal is to ensure that this kingdom is prosperous, and you are its best chance."

"Yggalë will always come first," she warned him.

"I would ask for nothing less, my Lady."

Hinata took an outstretched hand, squeezing it gently.


End file.
